Kingdom Hearts: The Brink of Chaos and Light
by Geminets
Summary: An OC story based off of the world of KH! Full of love, hatred, hurt, kindness, friendship, adventure, and much more! A spin off of KH that jumps headfirst into the darker side of things and explores the realms of darkness as it collides with the light. 4 teens come together and their fates are forever changed and dependent on one another! Rated T for violence.
1. A new awakening

**Akira's Awakening  
**

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In a small world made solely for the lost and displaced, sat a young girl with ebony hair and glowing green eyes. In the moonlight all alone she sat on top of a rooftop, dangling her feet two stories high. This spot was perfect to get a clear view of main square and all that took place there. _Look at them all down there_ she thought as she peered down at the crowds of people surrounding the shops far below. Some old, some young, couples clinging to one another affectionately, children running in between the mass in merriment, Loners to engrossed in their own personal thoughts to truly see the chaos before them. All so different yet with one thing in common, each one was her prey. As she gazed down at the townsfolk she could see them, the glowing hearts locked away within their owner's chest. The sweet waves of happiness radiating off of them, such a temptation was hard to resist when a heartless had not eaten for two weeks now.

It had been a month since she had awoken from being brutally murdered and somehow found herself in this isolated metropolis called Traverse Town. She awoke in a damp alleyway all alone. Her skin was icy cold and her body felt very light. However, this wasn't the bizarre thing about her predicament. The last thing she could remember were these black beasts gnawing on her skin and clothes, but when she looked down to examine herself there was not a mark on her. She struggled to get her footing to prevent falling back on the wet concrete from which she came. Her legs were weak from underneath her and her vision was strained, but she pushed through to follow the light and sound, maybe someone out there would be able to help her. However the closer she got to the end of alleyway the more she realized what she was hearing were screams of terror. She peeked around the corner to see that the same black demons that had attacked her home were here too. Only here there were people fighting them off. A tall man with long brown hair to his shoulders, a colossal sword within his disposal and a scar in the middle of his face was whacking away at the beasts with ease and intense power. His partner was a young girl, possibly about her age. She had short black hair, a giant shuriken that she swung like a boomerang that would instantly take out two or three of her enemies at a time, and her overall fighting style was very youthful, yet effective.

She hid behind a crate to escape the madness, fear engulfing all of her senses. Just then a young man collapsed in the middle of her ally way and right in front of her feet. It looked as though he had been badly wounded by the monsters and right as she was about to aid him a glow arose from his chest. Right before her very eyes a crystalized heart spiraled out of his body and floated above it. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, but something began to stir within her. As she gazed at the crystal heart a burn began to form in her throat. It seemed to swell and pulse, almost as though her body demanded something to soothe it. As the burning continued to torture her, darkness began to grow within her. Her gaze of wonder soon twisted into a look of pure hunger and evil intent. Her body then began to react on its own as she snatched the heart out of midair and crammed it into her mouth.

The taste was the most blissful thing she had ever tasted, the texture was smooth and warm, and it tasted like the sweetest thing she had ever savored in her mouth. The intense burning soon melted away as the heart slithered down her esophagus. Her once weak demeanor was then transformed into immense strength and agility. She felt as though if she were to punch the concrete walls around her they would surly crumble into fine powder and be swept away by the wind. This insane power was life changing and she was convinced she had to be a God compared to how invincible she felt from just one glorious heart. However her body wasn't the only thing that changed. Inside her own being, darkness poured into her, the once weak and fearful state of mind morphed into a cold power crazed monster. She was now an addict to more strength, more power, and more hearts….

_I want more, I want to eat more._ The dark thoughts kept spinning through her head like a motivational chant. _Look at them; running away in terror, they are all so weak, at least I fought to save my world. They only care about themselves; they don't deserve their hearts…but I do._ And with that thought intense rage and hatred arose from within. As the darkness grew inside her small frame a burning sensation surged in her hands. She looked down to see dark whips of smoke around them and she stared at them in puzzlement as two samurai swords emerged to take their place. They were black with red spirals in the blade. The blades themselves where very light, and sleek, and the handle bore the same insignia that was worn on the dark creature's chest just around the corner. A malicious smile grew on her pale face as she darted into the crowd to take what was rightfully hers.

Her first victim was a young woman about in her 30s who had her dress stuck on something in the wall; it was hard to tell because the young girl wasn't looking for that. She was driven by the women's screams, just further proof of how weak she was and how she needed to be eliminated. She deserved to die and prevent further pollution of the universe. Two black creatures were about to pounce on the frantic women and were closing in. Her fury was increased tenfold from this, _how dare they think that they can steal my heart from me; this heart belongs to me and me alone, SHE IS MY PREY! _And with that mere thought she dashed toward the scene in blinding speeds and slashed both of the interceptors straight through their miserable bodies**. **A smile grew on the woman's face as she stared at her savior, but she couldn't have been more far from the truth. With a wicked laugh she raised her sword to the woman and as the woman shrieked in pure terror she slung her weapon down aiming straight for her victims head. However a force knocked the sword from her hand. "Hey what are you doing?" The young girl from before was shouting at her now with obvious disapproval. The green eyed girl's samurai sword slid a few feet away and the shurikenlooped around in the midnight sky and landed back in its owner's hand. This distraction was just enough for the women to break free from the walland managed to escape. "What's your problem? That women needed help, why didn't you do anything?" even when scolding the young ninja didn't act very serious.

"Why would you help her? She was just a waist of space, surely someone as strong as you would understand that." The samurai wielder answered coldly.

This had the once peppy ninja puzzled, "What on earth are you talking about? Who are you anyway?" there was a long pause of silence, and the girls emerald eyes gleamed with such cruelty it sent shivers down the young ninja's spine. "My name is Akira, I'm from Lunar Valley a world destroyed by these same black demons, I don't know why I'm here, or how I got here. I was once a weak little girl like that woman you just saw, but not anymore." And an intense burning surged throughout her entire body as swirls of darkness churned around her body. Her lost samurai sword from before returned to her through the smoke, and the overall power was so intense that the young girl had to block her face with her hands to protect herself from the squall She was creating. "YUFFIE!" The man from before called out and with impressive speed stood in front of the young girl with is sword pinned up to protect them both from Akira's raw power. "You are just as weak as everybody else; you can't even stand up straight with me using only half of my power. Weak people don't deserve hearts; it would seem that I get two replacements from the one meal that got away." Akira snickered as she darted towards the two fighters and the clashing of swords could be heard for miles. "Leon watch out!" Yuffie cried after her companion as Akira fired heavy blows against his large sword all fueled by her extreme rage. The man gritted his teeth against the strain of the young girls might and did his best to push her off of him, but that was easier said than done. Akira was driven by her addiction to the hearts so already craved and the power that came with it. However her barrage of attacks came to a stop when she heard a whizzing sound in the air, she turned around to see the giant star slicing through the air aiming straight for her. She ducked just barely able to dodge the aerial onslaught but was then kicked in the chest by Leon when her guard was down. She landed head first into the pavement but managed to roll back to her feat. The two fighters were regaining their footing and were already cornering Akira to get the upper hand on her. You could tell the two partners had been working with each other for a while because their team work was flawless; however Akira's technique was sloppy. But that didn't discourage her in the slightest,_ these two are pathetic_ she thought to herself,_ clinging to their light, caring about others? It's such a lie, everyone is out to only help themselves, there is no love in this world, only pain. _She then surprised her perpetrators by tossing one sword at Leon and then darting after Yuffie with full force with the other. As Leon went to dodge the incoming threat it suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared in Akira's hand. She leapt into the air now once again fully armed and thrusted both blades upon the young girl, slicing into both shoulders on the way down. The young girl shrieked in pure agony and fell to the ground. A smirk of triumph grew upon Akira's face, only to be knocked down by Leon. He ran to the ninja's side, doing all that he could to make sure she was okay.

Akira only laughed at the man's display of affections_ "_You could have killed me just now, you could have gotten rid of me for good, but instead you try to help the girl. How stupid can you be?" The man then glared at her with pure disgust "I'm not a heartless, I'm a human being!" the young girl let that weigh on her for a moment, and then replied. "Well I guess that makes me a heartless now doesn't it?"

**GEMS: Oh goodness, me and my friend have written out a good bit for this story, and we're excited to start posting it.**

**It's an original fanbased story placed in the world of Kingdom Hearts years after the end of the 2nd game.**

**Note: Neither of us have played passed the 2nd game, so forgive us if our information or knowledge is incorrect. We're trying out best to express our imaginations and our love of the KH series. (:**

This story will be OC (Original Character) based for the majority, but never fear, we'll be bringing back some of the old pals, and of course, some new ones. ^_^  
Hope you enjoy! Please review 3

**Note: Akira is the first of many OC's. **


	2. A man alone

**A Man Alone**

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Faylin put his back against an alley wall and slowly slid down, easing into a sitting position. He hung his head and pressed his fingers to his temples. His gaze drifted to the passerby's, who if nothing else, spared him a meaningful glance and went about their way. He wasn't used to this-To the civility of it all. These people were strangers..Yet they were accepting of him. They were outcasts just as he was, but unlike him, they'd come together with a purpose: to rebuild, and to start over. But it wasn't that simple. No, it never was. Not for him. He'd never be able to start over. He'd never be able to rebuild and gain back what was lost to him. He'd always be this way: bitter and discontent with life. Miserable and lonely. But what was lost..It was such a sweet thought, the memory of it all. "

Torn by the memories that held to his heart, he closed his eyes, pushing back the tears that threatened to break free. He pushed his fingers to his eyes, waiting for the tears to leave him. He blinked a few times, clearing his vision. "Pity." He chided under his breath, "I deserve nothing more." Within an instances notice, he turned, smashing his hand into the brick wall that lined one of Traverse Towns many alleyways. Dust rained on top of his white hair, and he cringed as the slight twinge of pain. He was angry at the worlds. The gods. Himself. There should have been something that he could have done. Something..That he could have done to prevent what had happened. But of course, there was nothing. Perhaps death was the better option for him. He's tried several times, but there was always some invisible force that prevented him from such. It was as if someone didn't want him dead-like someone, or something, was protecting him. Whatever it was, it displeased him. He retracted his hand, examining the tiny trickles of blood that trickled from his knuckles. "Pain," he paused, "What a nuisance" "

His head was being done in by this. He knew that he wanted to be better for her. He needed to be better for her. He had to make it up to her and her father. He had to. That's all his life was worth at this point. Redemption. He was a broken soul, longing to make up for his sins and wrongdoings. That's what he really craved for. Reaching to touch his eye patch, he felt a small, pulsating throb just behind the material. His eye was a dark, marble and opalescent when hit with the right light. It was his mark of darkness. The thing that set him apart from any normal human being. The thing that brought evil and wrenched it through his soul with every breath he took. He could do wondrously dark things as a result of his mark, things that scared him and others. Things that could suck the very life from a persons spirit. He'd done it one time out of a fit of rage.. It had been a dark night, one of his worst, where like now, his eye throbbed with endless pain. It was the epitome of misery: like a brick being beaten into his skull, and a hand reaching into his chest and ripping at his heart. It was awful. He lay on the ground, twitching in agony, as clouds collected and rain began to pour. It was just an addition to the suffering he had to endure. This was one of those many moments where he cried and begged for his life to fade, wishing that he'd blink out of existence without slight trace of the person he'd once been. A small child approached him as he lie there, reaching out with a small slender hand, and asking with a tiny voice if he was okay. It wasn't what Faylin had intended to do. No, not at all in the slightest. But it was impulse, and the wretched longing that burrowed within his chest took advantage of his control. He'd reached out and struck the child and had went for him..And then it was all over. The child was gone and so was the pain. But with that, there was a horrible grief that settled within his chest. Anguish. He'd much prefer the misery than to see that innocent child lying there, motionless.

He hated himself. He was a monster. Every memory was burned into his soul, an imprint to torment him for eternity. He sat there, willing the dark thoughts away, heaving out his breaths, trying to regain his calm. It was difficult, being what he was. He knew not of any others like him, but he didn't doubt their existence. He could feel their presence, but they were always right out of his reach. Oh, what it would be like, to find someone to be able to share this burden with. To grow and to learn together. No, it was asking for too much. He was bound by sin to this life of solitude. And so he would stick with it. For his redemption would come with his sorrow and pain. His love would have wanted it this way, or so he thought. After how he destroyed her, she would have hated him and wanted the worst possible for him. And who was he to disagree? Oh the memory of her face, her gentle touch. It was beyond what he deserved. As if to mock him in his misery, a morph heartless appeared, showing to him the face of his beloved. His heart broke with it, and he screamed out in agony. He clenched his hair, pulling at it, drawing into himself. "Please.." he begged, "Please just leave me alone." the heartless squirmed at his words, dancing around him with the pleasure of his hate. He lunged for it and tackled it to the ground, punching through it, to no avail, his hand just sinking through it. He reached behind him and grasped his blade, drawing it with vicious speed, slicing at the heartless. It poofed in a huff of smoke, leaving in its wake an echo of a hiss. He collapsed back against the balcony rail, and looked up at the stars.

Each star represented a world, he knew, and he'd many a time witnessed one blink out of sight. That was the end to a world, caused by those like him. There were stories of a few who were destined to save the worlds by vanquishing the darkness, and that they had succeeded, but if they had, why was he what he was? Why did the little black creatures roam the streets and attack those most unfortunate? Was that not their goal? It was a cruel story to tell those who had nothing but hope. One unfair to those like him who'd had everything taken away.

He hummed to himself silently the tune of his mother. It was a happy tune, one that gave him a sense of solace in times like these where his thoughts roamed helplessly and endlessly. It helped him push aside all the wrong things just for a moment. And a moment was all he needed.

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**GEM: Yayy! Second character introduction. **

**Faylin's a sad broken character traumatized by the mistakes of his past. (We'll go into depth later on in the story, don't worry!) But for now, you'll have to deal with his emo-ness. (:**

**Faylin is my character, whereas, Akira is my friends character. **  
**Remember this is a story written by 2 people, not just one. You'll notice with the difference in writing styles. **

**Please review and tell us what you think!**


	3. Memory of you

**Akira - Memory of you**

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"Hard to believe that all happened just a month ago," the lonely girl whispered as she spoke to her self. So much had taken place in such little time it seemed she was getting lost within it all. She could almost picture the silver moon above her head being a beautiful cerulean blue from her home world. The streets below being more lively and exultant rather than the bordered gloom each citizen carried in this dim world for refugees. Not to mention the glimmer of fear they held in their eyes as they searched for any monsters with the same insignia as she carried on her. "I hate this place, I hate seeing these same faces over and over again and having to live my life in the shadows thanks to that idiotic group always protecting these senseless people." She said as she stood up from her once seating position atop of the roof.

The wind blew her hair slightly to the west, making her skin feel refreshed from its comforting touch. However, something was different about this air, it smelled different, and yet oddly familiar. She looked down try to find the source of this odd aroma, but nothing seemed out of place. "It smells slightly foul, like the darkness from those weaker heartless but….there is something off about it….Warren?" Her eyes searched the crowd wildly in pure desperation. Her chest pulled with longing as her thoughts ran circles in her head. _Warren? How can that be Warren? It can't be he had to of died when our world fell to darkness…but then again so did I and yet I'm here. What if he changed too and he's here right now!_ Excitement ran through her veins as she jumped from one shingle to the other in pure grace and with little effort. She ran from one side of the square to the other eyeing each individual with such care to make sure she didn't overlook a thing. She had to find him; there was a longing within her that had to see her lost lover again. It was then that she saw a patch of light hair dancing around in the crowd down below, and the scent was coming from that exact direction. It was almost like this was the first time she smiled of true happiness ever since she changed. It was a feeling that felt awkward as she jumped down off the two story building and into an alley way to avoid mass hysteria from the humans. She clung to the concrete wall as she tried her best to slow her breathing down. _The scent, it's so strong now, he's right around this corner I just know it_ she thought as the young girl's jade eyes gleamed with such bliss. However, right as she was about to step out into the light a thought hit her like a bullet straight to the heart. In her mind's eye she saw Warren, it was the last time she had ever seen the young man of her dreams, and he was running away. He was leaving her for dead…

Her inner fantasy came to an immediate halt as the remembrance of what he had done to her came rushing back into her mind. The hurt, the pain, and the betrayal him and her brother had caused her and made her the monster she was today. _It's all his fault_ she thought angrily, _he did this to me, he might as well been the one who took my heart and ate it right before my very eyes instead of those heartless….well this time it won't be me that gets betrayed. I think it's high time to settle the score. He WILL pay for what he has done; he doesn't deserve a second chance at life no matter how immoral this one is._ She thought as her fury began to rise to a very dangerous level. The fire in her hands began to stir yet again, and within moments her faithful samurai swords where back in her hands. The scent was still strong as before, if she were to pivot out of this corner and hit him with a full blow that would be it, the deed would be done. A chilling glint in her eyes twinkled as she prepared herself for the best possible moment to strike. She steadied her breathing, closed her eyes, and right when she could sense her prey was right upon her with the full force of a god she hammered her swords into her foe

However they never once hit flesh as she predicted. Her face was in total puzzlement as she stared wildly at not a face in agony, but it was a man's face. And he looked just as caught off guard as the young girl was. His hair was the same style as Warren's however it was lighter than she had thought; in fact it looked to almost be silver up close. He was much taller as well and unfortunately for her the man was using his size to his advantage and was easily overpowering her. She stared in fear as she examined him more closely. His features overall were very fine, light hair, skin as pale as hers, but his eyes although a grey color where as cold as ice as he peered down at her. He wore a lot of metaled armor and accessories along with leathered clothing. On his face he bore an eye patch with metal on it as well. To anyone this man was extremely intimidating, however Akira wasn't about to be out done by anyone. If she could hold her own against two fighters, one scary ass one wouldn't be a problem. She refused to be defeated; she refused to be the weak one in this fight. And so even though her foe wasn't the one she had hunted down, it didn't matter. He was here, he was her obstacle, and he too would feel the wrath of her pure fury and darkness.


	4. First impressions

**Faylin and Akira - First impressions**

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There wasn't much interesting to do, just sitting around and thinking. It was all a really big waste of time that Faylin could be using to do something proactive, so he decided to get up and look for something to do. He couldn't remember many hobbies that he'd had from his childhood, just the ones that he'd picked up after his..change.. and he wanted to become more in touch with who he used to be, and who he would have been if nothing had happened to him. He always wondered about that—what he would have been like if things were different. Would he have died with his people? Could he have saved his mom? Would his lover be alive? What about his younger sister? But there wasn't really much use in thinking on it, because it just brought to him sadness and pain. Clenching his fists and tensing his muscles, he heaved out a sigh and shook his head, as if the simple action would expel the thoughts right from his mind. Rolling his shoulders back and relaxing, he set out for a light jog through the streets of Traverse Town. It wasn't much of an interesting world, rather simple, actually. The people were all dressed differently, but they all had the same demeanor about them: broken with a shattered sense of hope, and a brilliant source of light gleaming from within their spirits. It was a tasty looking light, one that drew Faylin in and made him want to rip at their flesh with his bare hands and take that light and devour it. He knew what it would feel like, that pure essence as it slid down his throat and into his stomach. It would ease the pain and would make him feel lightheaded, and for a single moment, it would be worth it to him. And then the regret would come like a swift blade and cut at the last morsel of his being. It would fade with time, but it was always the worst feeling; he'd try and avoid it for as long as he could, but with all these carriers walking right by him, without a single ounce of awareness, the urge and the need became too strong for him to control. There hadn't been any uncontrolled incidents with him so far—he'd only picked off the lurkers that no one paid any mind to and tried to avoid. The bad people—the ones who sought to hurt those innocent. It was kind of an ironic act for him to be doing such, since he was just as bad, if not ten times worse than those he took for his own. He was always afraid that someone would discover him and seek out to destroy him—not that he wasn't up to the challenge, of course. Oh no, anyone who wanted his life would have to take it by force. He was a warrior, and he wasn't going down without a fight. If he lost, then he was his victors to do with whatever they pleased. Be it death, enslavement, or experimentation over his odd being, he didn't care. He would go down with a warriors honor, or rise above with a victors cry. There would be no half effort for him. It was all or nothing.

Jogging through the crowd, coming to a slow walking pace, something shifted in the worlds order. It was like the peacefulness had drained out of the very air, leaving it dry, stale, and out of place. There was something wrong. No, not something wrong, someone wrong. Walking by a small shop, it hit him within a seconds notice: there was someone like him, within minimal range, and they were going for the attack. He could feel the ringing vibrations in the air as two swords slice to where his shoulder was, and he twisted out of the way using his heartless speed and agility to his advantage, and flashed a few feet away. It was a younger girl, maybe by a few years, but she was tiny. Short. She had black hair and dark green eyes that were filled with anger and hatred. Her skin was pale like soft ivory. Her clothes were old and ratty... She was pretty, but her being was horribly wrong. Just like his. Getting over his brief shock, he chuckled a bit to himself, a small sly smile brushed the edge of his lips as he shrugged and charged at her. Her look of shocked remained in place as he twisted around her, grasping at her blades with his bare hands, ignoring the dark black blood that seeped from his palms as he yanked them from her hands in a flash. He tossed them to the ground and shoved her against the wall, pinning her there with his arms. She wasn't very tall, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulders. Manipulating the essence of emotion in the area around him, he drained what little happiness the alleyway held, making it feel dark, cold, lonely, and sad. He lowered his lips to her ear, his voice breaking the silence in a low whisper. "Now, little one," he started, his voice eerily calm. "I'd like to know a thing or two about you. You see, you're quite like me in many ways," he paused, thinking about his words, "And I don't like being attacked, or challenged, and if you don't answer me, I might have to take drastic measures. So please, answer me this: Who and what are you?"

Her face smoothed over, and the fear in her eyes vanished. She was still scared, he could tell from the rate of her pulse and the anxiety that was practically spilling in waves off of her, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way. She lifted her eyes so that they could be on level with his, and stiffly said "I'll not be that easy to break." She jerked in his arms and kneed him right in the gut, taking him off guard for a moment. He stumbled back with mild shock and let out a small gasp. With his momentary falter, she dived from his arms and rolled, grabbing up her swords and coming back up in fighting stance; she was kneeling on the ground with one sword angled over her head, and the other angled under her chest. There was a wicked rage that burned about her spirit. Faylin stopped, tilted his head to the side, and stared in wonder. She was exactly as he had been several years ago-driven by hatred, rage, and anger. The darkness that flowed through her was vastly strong and if he hadn't had years of experience with such darkness within his own being, he would have been fearful of the girl. She stared back at him, obviously cautious of her next move, sizing him up for what he actually was. He knew that she could tell he was like her. That he was a stronger version of what she was, and that she should be cautious. But he also knew that she wasn't going to let anything stand in her way if she could help it. It was a pride thing that he had as well. He couldn't stand being challenged, and disliked losing even more. He hadn't been this way before, or at least he thought he hadn't, but it was how he was now, and if nothing else, he understood what she was going through.

He put his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight on one leg. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want answers. You see, I'm exactly like you, but I'm older. You might possess knowledge I know not of, and knowledge is something I'd assume that among other things is something we all crave." His eyes darkened as he waited for a response, but her lips wouldn't budge. Her legs and arms however, did. She lunged for him with catlike grace, flipping here and there, slicing the air in his general direction. She was wary of attacking him, he knew, but sooner rather than later, it was obvious that she'd lose her cautious attitude and go in for the attack. All she was doing right now was trying to intimidate him. He flashed and grabbed one of her arms as she went for him in midair. She kicked off of his face and flipped backwards to the ground, landing on one foot, and charging him. He wasn't quick enough to dodge or block what he knew was coming, so he let it come. One blade sliced at his bare chest, leaving behind a gushing gash of black oozing blood, and the other grazed his cheek, leaving behind a smaller, thinner gash. She raised her blades to her face in an instant and smiled at the dark blood. "You'll be mine," she said softly, a wicked smile playing at her lips. Faylin raised a finger to his face, pulling it back to look at the blood. "Oh dear," he sighed, "That's going to leave an awful mark."

Faylin was on her, and he wasn't going to hold back. He was going to put her in her place, and he was going to get the answers he wanted. One thing he'd learned through the years of possessing this horrible burden was that with effort, you could transform your being. And transform his being was exactly what he was going to do. He faded back into the darkness, and then let out a wretched cry as he slammed her into a wall. He was a dark shadow with hundreds of eyes, sharp pointy teeth that could tear at your flesh and rip it from your bones, claws sharp as the sharpest blade, and tongues that came out of various mouths that were covered with tiny needles. He was terrifying and hideous. He grabbed the girl by her neck and slammed her to the ground, and then to the wall. With a deep raspy throaty gurgling noise, he spoke: "You WILL give me what I want to know, or your existence shall end." His claws sank a little into her neck, and blood dripped from them. He licked her face, leaving behind a horrible rash. He knew she'd heal relatively fast, but it was always fun to scare his victims. Being this way…Well it was a little bit more persuasive than his normal form.

He opened up a dark portal on the opposite wall and backed into it, still holding the girl within his grasp. Going through portals was something he'd discovered he could do with ease. It was a convenient way of transportation, and he knew that it would add to the effect of fear. He backed out into a dark cave. They were standing in a center island that was surrounded by shallow water, and all around were waterfalls. The cave was dark, but there was a glistening light that cave from the rocks hidden behind the waterfalls. On the walls were drawings that told stories of the town's history. He dropped the girl on the ground, leaving her choking, and backed away, shifting to his normal form. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and glowered down at her. "Now, you'll remain here until you're willing to talk." He collected his face so that he was expressing nothing but cold emotion, turned, opened a portal that hovered over the water's edge, and started to walk towards it. He pitied the girl and how she'd been forced into this life. It was a cruel and harsh one to live, and it would always end with nothing but pain and sadness. There was no hope of light, no hope of happiness. Just bitter darkness.

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**GEM: Okay so going back over and reading this first fight scene..Holy crap. **  
**These guys are psychopaths. Legit, psycho crazy. **

**Don't worry though! They get kinder with each other. **

**Note: As stated in the introduction, there are new heartless. These heartless are heartless who've retained their sense of humanity..Kinda like Ansem from the first game, but not. These guys are more badass and much more capable. They will be vastly different from Ansem, which you will see later on as the story develops. **


	5. Deadly games

**Akira and Faylin - Deadly games**

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What the hell was that?! Akira asked herself as the mysterious…thing left through his portal of darkness, leaving her alone on this wet rock in what seemed to be an abandoned cave underneath the city. Tears escaped from her eyes effortlessly and irritated her cheek that was now raw from the man's taste of her. Her body shook with anxiety and she curled into a tight ball as she continued to cry in her dark prison. Never in her entire life after the change had she ever felt so vulnerable, so fragile, and so weak. She had seen so many monsters in her lifetime here, but none were as terrifying as that. For the first time she was the prey instead of the hunter, and it was a feeling that didn't set well with her predator mind set. This overwhelming fear was also accompanied by curiosity. _Why didn't he just kill me when he had the chance? More heartless means less food for other heartless, Information is so obsolete when survival is in the mix. What does he really want from me? I don't believe that's all it is, if he really is like me then there has to be a second motive._ But the answer kept eluding her like a feather in the air, so close and in reach yet it slipped through her fingers every time.

It was then that it hit her, the intense burning in her throat that only meant one thing. Her body was going through withdrawals, she had forgotten all about the real reason she was in the square today and now she was paying the price. Her throat was on pure fire and there was only one way to soothe it, she needed a heart. She HAD to have a heart, and fast. She stood up frantically and summoned her swords to her. She slashed away at the walls of the cave trying to find some sort of breaking point in them. Anything that would mean escape, she tried to swim for an exit but unfortunately she had never learned how. Lunar Valley didn't have any ponds, rivers, or even an ocean. There might have been a pool but that was for the richer residents. She collapsed on the ground clawing at her own neck, "It hurts" She whimpered aloud "it feels like my throat is in flames; make it stop, MAKE IT STOP!" She shouted as her voice bounced off the cave walls. Blood flowed from her neck as her scratches began to grow deeper into her skin, the hole from the man's bite was reopened and her ivory skin was stained with her black blood.

An hour had passed since her enslavement had begun and it was the most wretched 60 minutes of her life. Her whole body burned for her addiction as she waited patiently for her own death. Right when all seemed lost for her a black portal appeared in front of her yet again. And just as before, it was the man with silver hair that walked through. His face showed no hatred or bitterness, not even sadness for seeing the young girl in such a low state. He just stared at the bloody mess all over her neck and body that was obviously self-inflicted and held out his hand. "I thought you might need this," he spoke emotionlessly and held in his hand her salvation. It was a heart, it looked to have been just collected and gleamed with such sweet light. Her body jerked towards it as a starving animal would to any scraps a stranger would give it. However she stopped half way, "How do I know it's not poisoned or something?" Her voice was so coarse and it stung to form the words, but she had to know. She couldn't trust this man any more than she could trust anyone else. After all, he had made it obvious to her that he didn't care one way or the other about her condition as long as he got what he wanted. "You don't listen very well do you?" he said in a very condescending tone, "I already told you I wasn't going to hurt you as long as you answered my questions, now how can you do that if your dead?" By his stance you could tell he was getting impatient with the young girl. She had nothing else to say in return, her fight against her bodies craving was becoming very one sided and she quickly snatched the heart from his hand and devoured it whole. The tenseness from her earlier struggle of withdrawal soon relaxed as the heart filled her entire being with strength and healed her previous wounds. She sighed with relief now that her torment was finally at an end, and now she stared back up at her captor with a malicious glare of hatred. "Now tell me. Who and what are you" the man said with coldness in his tone. They stayed there in silence for a bit as the girl thought about this; she hated giving him what he wanted because that would mean she had lost. But at the same time she needed to get out of here. It was then that an ingeniously wicked plan had developed in her head and she smiled like the devil himself holding a secret, "My name is Akira Newborn." She pronounced in a cool tone.

The two just stayed there in awkward silence and as the time progressed a curious look developed on the man's face. "And?" the man said with irritation written all over his voice and body now. The girl just giggled, "You helped me out by getting me that heart, and I helped you out by giving you one answer. If you want more out of me you will have to give me more." She was tickled by the man's obvious frustrations; she had him right where she wanted him. He had no choice now to do HER bidding instead of the other way around. He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily "You're right. You aren't going to be easy to break after all." The girl laughed with real amusement, the sheer irony of the moment was just too precious. This man who looked so intimidating was being bested by a little girl, that knowledge was enough to boost her previously damaged ego. "All is fair in love and war, and at this point you are my enemy. Now go be a good boy and get me another heart and I'll give you another answer that you seek." Her smile was beautifully tainted with corruption as her plan was being executed perfectly. _No one is stronger than me; I refuse to let that happen._ She thought to herself as the man weighed his options. The silence progressed until a twisted grin brushed on his face as well "No deal" he said coldly. Shock zapped through Akira's body as she jumped into a standing position. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN NO DEAL?!" She fired back as her temper grew. He just chuckled at the young girl's tantrum and continued "I've waited this long for information; I can wait a bit longer. You however little one won't last that long without a supply of hearts, eventually you WILL break and tell me what I want to know in order to save yourself. I win" that one statement was all it took. Akira was blinded with rage at this wicked man who yet again had out smarted her. Her body shook with the purest fury one can ever produce and darkness swirled around her as her power increased tenfold. "DON'T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME!" Her voice was now combined with her original tone but was now mixed with a demonic air. It was like she was being possessed by the darkness she carried with her and was barely human at this point. Her eyes glowed like a cat and the skin on her hands and feet grew dim like charcoal. Her two swords appeared in her hands again and she lunged herself toward her captor. The man unlike before expected this type of behavior and gracefully pivoted out of the way. Amusement growing on his face as he watched the young girl do everything in her power to take him out. "STOP IT!" she screeched and hit the man in the back with the butt of her blade. The man was then sent flying and ran straight into the cave wall, rattling the entire structure with the harsh impact. "I am not less than you; I am not going to be patronized like a child. I am a heartless, born to kill like the predator I am. Do not mock me." Her voice was eerily cold as she spoke, half human half demon.

The man slowly rose from the rubble his impact had created and revealed a stairway, a possible escape. However he didn't even seem to notice it. He only shook his head in continued amusement. "You're no predator, you're just a joke." And he sent himself flying towards her with alarming speeds and sword ready to make a final blow, however the tables had turned. She twisted out of the way of his heavy blow thanks to her added agility from her earlier diner, and used one sword to knock the back of his knee with the dull side of her blade, automatically knocking him off balance, and in the midst of his falling she snatched his sword by the blade and sent it flying into the water nearby. Her previous rage subsided from the sight of the fallen man. Black blood trickled down to the cave floor from her deep wound in her hand, but it didn't matter anymore. The score was now even as far as she was concerned. "What is your name anyway?" the girl asked with a puzzled look on her face. The man winced with surprise at the question and slowly looked up at the young heartless. "its Faylin…Faylin Moore." She looked down on him with interest. "Well Mr. Moore this won't be the last time you see me." And she walked gracefully to the escape root Faylin had created for her. As the young girl was making her exit the silver haired man just sat up and said coolly "Most definitely not little one, most definitely not…"


	6. It's all fun and games until

**Faylin and Akira - It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt**

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Once Akira had left, Faylin chuckled to himself. "Bested by a child! I'd better watch myself from now on, she's not to be underestimated." He hopped up and held his back, stifling a little gasp of pain. She'd really hurt him when she threw him, but that was no matter, the bruises and pain would be gone within a matter of moments, and he'd be in top shape in no time. There wasn't much that could hurt being like him. He'd heard stories of key blades and magic, but he'd never actually witnessed anything like it—and for his own good, he hoped the stories weren't true, and that he never came across anything like that.

Once he was sure that he could walk without the slightest sign of pain, he went to collect his sword from the pool of water and sheathed it behind his back with one swift movement._ Now it's time to cause a little chaos_, he thought to himself_, I think I'll go ruin little Akira's day because I don't plan on losing to her. She may think she's a winner, but she's far from it._ He smiled as he opened a portal. Stepping inside, he focused his mind, searching for her energy source and fluctuations within the world, "Where oh where is little Akira, oh where oh where could she be?" he began to sing in a soft tune that was barely audible next to the hum of the portal. Locating Akira's life-force, he walked through and out of the portal, joining with a crowd of people who were having a party on one of the near balconies, shielding himself from her eyes. She was a new heartless, not knowing yet much of her capabilities, so she wouldn't be able to pick out his being yet. This fact was a superior advantage to Faylin who had every intention of following Akira and causing her to have a bad day.

As it turned out, Akira hadn't made it far beyond the cave itself. She was wondering uselessly in the alleyway behind the hotel, not knowing where to go or what to do. There weren't many people on the ground level, and you could see her eyes darting back and forth hungrily from the group of partiers up on the balcony to a small group of children playing a game with a small beach ball, to a homeless man who perched lightly on a box and kept his head held low, avoiding everyone's eyes. Faylin picked up a can of soda, popped the top, and sipped halfheartedly as he watched her every move. Akira decided to go for all of the people on ground level. First, she went for the homeless man; her blades appeared in her hands, and she threw them expertly so that they both pinned the man through his coat to the wall. He didn't scream, but his eyes did widen with shock. Akira's smile shifted from pretty to wicked in a matter of seconds, and her eyes glazed over. Faylin had never actually seen what it looked like when this process took place, but he was horrified. He looked like that! He looked like a monster! There was no compassion in her eyes as she danced on her tiptoes to the man and sunk her hands into his chest, ripping at the flesh and breaking apart the bones. You could see the life fade from the man's spirit leaving him as she dug and clawed her way to the pulsating life-force within the man. She pulled out her hands which were covered in a sickly sweet red, and within the palm of her hand, she held the little glistening heart: the ultimate satisfactory goal of the heartless. She raised it to her face and smelled it, savoring every last sweet scent that it produced. She opened her mouth and licked it. _Now for the fun_, Faylin thought as she went to take her first longed for bite. He summoned 5 soldier heartless and they lunged for her, taking her off guard, and causing her to lose hold of the heart. It floated up and Faylin caught it. "Oh yes." He said lightly, placing it in a special container that was hidden in his pants. "The funs just begun!" Akira screamed in frustration, her face contorted with rage as she sliced the heartless. "You stupid creatures! That was my heart! Mine Mine MINE!" she twisted around and saw the boys and lunged for them, slicing at them with her swords and releasing four hearts at once. Faylin called forth even more heartless to distract her from getting the hearts, and he collected those as well. It was all a game to him and her. Sure, he hated taking hearts himself and causing people pain by his own hands, but when it was done by another, he couldn't be bothered. Akira stomped her feet and shrieked so loud that the party goers stopped, momentarily stunned, and peered over the edge of the balcony. As if sensing this, Akira turned and glowered at them, her mouth hung slightly open, her hunger evident on her face. She flashed so quickly into the group of people that they didn't react at first. Once they realized that she was among them, they began screaming and yelling. She tore at them, and as she did, Faylin summoned more heartless by the dozens, and hearts were flying everywhere. "NO!" she screamed, "My hearts! MINE! HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE!?" She was so infuriated. Eventually she had destroyed every living person on the balcony, leaving not one to run for help. She huffed, tired from the destruction. Faylin appeared behind her, and chuckled. "You know, if you keep it up, they're going to call for someone to terminate you." He paused, watching her as she turned around, her eyes narrowing. "Ah, Mr. Moore, I guess it was sooner than I expected." "Yes, and you really must learn to control yourself child. I quite like this town, and wouldn't want to have to leave because you can't sustain your desires." She glared at him, slowly circling him, calculating what she was going to next do. Faylin held up his hands, and moved in step with her. "Mr. Moore. Now, what would you do if I were to destroy you? Because as it seems to me, with you being 'exactly like me,'" she indicated with air quotes, "You're just an obstacle in my way to getting what I really want. And when I don't get what I want, well let's just say it's not a pretty thing." She flashed and had her swords wrapped around his throat in an instant. "Now, let's see what you've got here in your pants..." she opened up one of his many pockets and pulled out the small box containing the hearts. "So. You're the cause of this..The one who's been making me lose my hearts..You bastard. I'll kill you." In an action that should have decapitated him, she sliced her swords, but he was just..Gone. And so was the box of hearts.

Faylin appeared in the alleyway, standing in the water that streamed out from the cave. His arms were wide open, in one hand the box of hearts, and in the other, his sword. He was antagonizing her, daring her to come after him. He threw the box up and it vanished into thin air. "Now child! If you wish to have free reign over this town, you must defeat me. But can you do it? That's up to you." He heaved his sword over his back and chanted a magical spell. Now this spell was a spell of old: it was spoken in a language that was unknown to many, but prominent to the few. His free hand had glyphs and symbols begin to rotate about it, and with that, white lights streaked across the sky. "Do you dare?" he asked with a smirk on his face. Akira stopped and eyed the man with disgust. She knew exactly what he was doing, he was toying with her. Trying to get a rise from her so that she would stumble and be easier prey, from their previous battles she had learned that much about Moore. She jumped off the balcony with ease and grace and prepared her weapons in her fighting _stance I have to win this fight, I have to prove my worth to him…and to myself. There is no room for error this time. Its either me or him_ she thought as she slowed her breathing and focused all of her attention on the box. Nothing else matter at that place or moment in time, not Moore, not innocent bystanders, just her and the hearts. She closed her eyes and concentrated all of her darkness, all of her pent up rage, all of her power to the surface of her being. This battle would not be easy, but she would not be defeated as someone inferior. And with that she sprinted forward in alarming speeds towards her target. Just as Faylin anticipated she would, he waited for the last possible moment and bent out of the way, grabbing her by her wrist and slamming her into the ground. He knocked her weapons out of her hand with his own sword, kicked them to the side, and thrust his magic hand into the hollow of her back, laying out his palm flat. Lightning struck from the sky to where his hand was, striking her through his palm, and temporarily stunning her. This was just the window of opportunity that he needed: he traced a pattern along her spine, creating a seal that set there, and hopped back. Now, this was no normal seal. It was a seal of the ancients, devised to gradually with time weaken ones opponent during battle. With every move she would make, she would become weaker. Her own ignorance and determination would be her downfall. He pushed her swords back close to her hands, jumped back, and waited for her to become fluid again so that she could attack.

Her vision blurred in an out of focus as she came to. There was a sharp pain in her back and her head. Both of which she vaguely remembered how they came to be there. It had all happened way to fast, for her brain to recall. She slowly pulled herself up, tears betraying her and seeping down her cheeks in pain and frustration. She swiveled around to face her foe and summoned her weapons back to her hands "Why won't you just leave me the hell alone?" she shouted as she lunged forward for a second attack, Faylin just bent in the opposite direction again only this time Akira was prepared for this. She used the darkness to wrap around her foes legs and hold him still in the murky water which allowed her enough time to slice his left arm with a very large gash. After committing her deed she jumped back and giggled at the man. "Perhaps that was playing a bit dirty." she smirked at him.

Faylin looked down at his arm and watched as it healed. "Oh, 'tis naught but a scratch!" he chimed with a put-on accent. He flashed out of the dark murk and grabbed her by the hair, his sword held at her throat. "Now," he breathed in her ear, "This can go easy, or it can go hard." he let go of her hair and grabbed her by the waist and boldly slammed her to the ground, stroking his finger down her back. She went still again, and Faylin smiled. "You can stay there for as long as you wish" he transformed into the frightening monster from earlier and spoke with his horrible throaty voice "or we can play." he released her from the temporary hold and grabbed her and threw her into the air and slammed her into the wall, his claws sticking through her right shoulder and into the wall, pinning her there. "What you did to that man earlier? I should do it to you, "he said, his eyes hungrily looking her up and down. "I could chew you apart and remove you from existence," he yanked his claws out of her shoulder and let her drop to the ground, "or you could be a good child and submit to me your knowledge." The box of hearts reappeared in his hand and he tossed it to her knees. "You disgusting waste. Always craving that which you cannot control. If you don't learn control you'll never amount to anything."

His words stung, a pain that was worse than any he had caused by his blade or claw. "You don't know" she whispered coldly but the pain in her voice made the volume slowly increase." You have no idea what I've been through, the pain that These People Have PUT ME THROUGH!" Warm tears now falling like rivers on her face but she didn't care. Who was he to judge when he had no idea, who was he to patronize her when he had not the slightest clue of the person she used to be before all of this. She never wanted to kill those people, but what choice did she have? She had already sacrificed herself once for others and look at the good it did her. "So much pain, so much pain." she whispered as her body grew weak. She shook as she relived that fateful day her world was under attack, those blue eyes that she loved so much running away for her to perish. This man had no idea how much she had already lost and now he was only fueling her own inner torment and making things worse. Her skin grew cold and her vision was having a hard time focusing on her monstrous foe. But she just shoved everything in the back of her mind, none of it matters now, nothing matters anymore but survival. She raised her hand in the direction of the monster and fired a dark aura with astonishing power compared to how weak she was growing.

If Faylin had a heart, it would have broke for her then and there. The dark aura knocked him back and he cringed at the searing pain, but he walked over to her, his monster form fading. He sat down in front of her and crossed his legs, his brow creasing with sadness. He leaned forward and touched her back, lifting the seal. "I don't know?" his voice broke. "Oh, but I do. I've known infinite pain and no rest." He took her hands in his and poured a few hearts in her palms. "Eat; it'll help the pain to go away. Don't hesitate, just do it." She looked up to make protests, but he shushed her, and she listened. "We are a broken people, shattered with no hope of repair." he said bitterly. "And the only way we can survive is by feeding off of what others have that we never will. It is a cruel hard life. One we must each face on our own." he glanced down at her, a gentle smile on his face. "Please, be mindful of how you do things. There are few and we're alone. It would be sad to lose any hope for companionship available." And with that, he stood and left her sitting there.


	7. Beneath dark shadows

**Akira - Beneath dark shadows**

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The poor child just sat there in utter disbelief. _What just happened?_ She thought as she tried to figure out how Faylin had gone from murderous intent to caring and sympathetic. It was something that she hadn't witnessed in a very long time; no one had been this kind to her during her life as a heartless. After all who would want to be friends with a monster and for the longest time she saw Faylin the same way. As a cold creature, but this display of concern was so out of place that she had no idea how to react. _Why didn't he kill me? He had obviously bested me, he could be eating these hearts as we speak and no longer have to worry about a rival…but he didn't…why?_ The question spun circles in her head, the man who shared her fate and yet he was still such an odd creature to her. An alien to everything she knew and believed.

She glanced down at the hearts, of which were still in her grasp, she could finally have her prize and yet. It didn't please her, her hunger for the food had dimed, that's not what she wanted. A new desire began to form within her,

_"I don't know?" … "Oh, but I do. I've known infinite pain and no rest."_ She could hear his words in her head as if he were still here in front of her. She could see his Smokey blue eyes look at her with such compassion and kindness as the whole scene replayed in her mind. There was someone out there who understood, someone out there who maybe…_wanted_ to help her. For so long she had been alone, finding hearts to fill a void within her, but thinking on it now, she had never felt so whole until now. She stood up and stared at the starry sky above her, and with one easy motion released the hearts into the sky. She never knew where they went to as they disappeared with the stars, but floating upward into a beautiful night sky sounded like a better fate for a heart than to be swallowed whole by a monster. A smile grew on her face, a smile of genuine relief of doing a good deed. And she walked on down the back of the motel with the desire of a new search. She was going to find Faylin again. She had no idea why the desire was so strong or even what she would do once she found him. It was just something she had to do; she wanted to help him like he had helped her.

Hours passed and not a single sign of the silver haired man, you would think with such a bizarre characteristic he would be easier to find. Of course it would probably have been an easier search if she hadn't made herself public enemy number one amongst the people of this world and didn't have to hide in the shadows. "Yeah not the smartest idea on my part." The girl muttered to herself as she realized just how naïve she had been. Always mindlessly hunting down people, never once thinking of a consequence it would create. She looked around and found a little blanket near a trash can by one of the buildings "Ugh this is gonna be so gross but hopefully if I disguise myself a bit I will be able to find him better." And she whipped the fabric over her head like a hood and then joined the crowd like an everyday citizen. She walked to one of the stores and found herself in an accessory shop. It had been her first time entering one of these buildings her prey…the humans came in and out of so often. She looked intrigued at all of the different armors and jewelry that was meant to help in battle. Each one having mystical powers that provide more strength, agility, even magical abilities just from wearing them. She was like a child in a candy store gawking at all there was behind the glass cases "Are you gonna buy something or what?" The girl jumped up startled by the sudden voice behind her and turned to see it was Cid. Cid was one of the guys from Leon's gang and fought to keep this world safe, so in other words the wrong person to run into when you've killed so many innocent people. She cleared her throat and avoided his eyes as best as possible. "Umm yes I'm looking for a silver haired man with a lot of metal and a large sword. I was wondering if maybe you have seen him in your store." She said using a fake darker voice to try to keep Cid unaware of her true identity. The buff man rubbed his chin which wore a bit of blonde stubble, and flipped his tooth pick in his mouth back and forth as he thought. "Nope, can't say I have, but hey you look like you could use a new cloak." He said as he peered down at the girls ratty make shift hood from the trash. "Uh no I'm fine thank you." She said as she began to panic and hurriedly started walking out of the store. "Well hold up just a sec girly I haven't even shown you…." His words broke as he accidently pulled the blanket off of her head. Akira turned around to see that her shock was being shared on their faces. "You!" He yelled as he punched her in the face and sent her flying out of the store. Her head smacked the doors pretty hard and she did a roll down the concrete stairs due to his crushing blow. _No no no no no_ she thought as she tried to shake off the dizziness in her head and darted towards the large doors to the third district. As she struggled to get the door to open a large shuriken came flying and hit the door with a loud thud, only two inches away from Akira's face. Panic raced through her body as she yanked the door open and hurriedly crawled to safety on the other side.

However on the other side awaited a new obstacle, Leon stood there in front of her with his weapon in a readied position. _Oh no not this now too_ she thought to herself _I'm not even healed from my fight with Faylin and now THIS happens_ she thought as she stood plastered against the wooden doors, trapped. The door was struggling to be reopen from more than likely Cid's and Yuffie's attempt to come to Leon's aid. She was cornered; nowhere to run, not strong enough to fight, this was it. Unlike Faylin's kindness, Leon would not hold back. He was going to kill her right here and now for the damage she had caused. Deep down she knew she deserved to die this way, but she didn't want to. Fear froze on her face and she couldn't move. Leon however took advantage of her petrified state and charged at her with his sword aimed straight for her head.

Akira closed her eyes tight and prepared for her demise, and heard the blade make impact….but she felt no pain. She looked around in puzzlement to find that Leon had made impact on another sword, a sword wielded by a man with silver hair. She sighed with relief and beamed up at her savior with a smile "I found you."

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**GEM: Amazing what a small act of kindness can do to one, right?**


	8. Us against the world

**Us against the world**

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**Faylin:**

He could tell that the girl was bewildered as he glanced back at her. She must have had horribly conflicting feelings, knowing that there was actually someone out there who could express any sentiment of care or compassion. He knew that was how he was when the man had first found him. He had been laying in his dead mother's arms, wrenching and coughing blood, his body rejecting this new darkness that burrowed within him. It was horrible and painful, and he'd never felt more alone. He was a child, but his only wish was for his short lived life to end. His chest hurt. His eye hurt. He felt hollow and empty and worst of all, alone. The man had kicked in the remains of his door and had called out to see if anyone was still alive. Faylin knew he'd be overlooked, and even though he wanted to die, he didn't want to be left alone. He tried to choke out words, but instead, he managed a tiny whimper. The man had stopped and had walked quietly in the room and shook his head at the remains of the woman's body and the small child who lay there, still seeking comfort from them. He stooped beside the child and brushed back his soft white hair, suppressing a gasp at the condition of the child. "Well, lookey what we have here," he softly said. He picked the child up into his arms, cradled him to his chest, and the rest was blank from there. All that Faylin could recall was a brief sense of floating in thin air and darkness surrounding him. Once Faylin had awoken, he shot up, gasping for air. The pain he had once felt was numb to him, and instead of hurting him, just left him feeling hollow. There had been a girl staring down at him with curious eyes, and she had gone to fetch the man who had saved him.

The man offered him love and compassion, trying to fill the void where his heart should have been. He taught him what his father would have similarly taught him, and raised him as his own. Faylin had clung to the warmth given by the man, and by the girl who grew to be his friend. It was a blissful thing that made him feel halfway whole again.

Even though the two knew what he really was and knew that they should put him out of the pain that he would only endure with life, they grew to love him and accept him as one of their own. They'd become accustomed to having him in their life, and everything was good. Everything until one day when a mysterious man had come and demanded the rights to Faylin. Challenging the man for this, he brandished a strange weapon that looked like a giant hammer, hidden within a midnight blue cloak. The man had grabbed a sword and had taken a fighting stance in front of Faylin—a protective motion. But then the oddest thing happened. Faylin stepped out in front of the man and between him and his challenger. "You can take me," he quietly said. "I won't stop you. I don't want my family to be hurt." The hooded challenger stood down and offered his hand, and with one final look back at the man and his daughter, Faylin took it, and then they vanished.

Weeks had passed and there hadn't been a sign of Faylin. The man and his daughter were beginning to lose hope that he would ever return to them. But one day, he finally did. He showed up on their doorstep, entered, and collapsed in front of them. He'd seemed drained and lifeless and there was something ultimately cold about him. Something had been ripped from him and changed about him. He wasn't the broken child that had been bandaged up and partially fixed. He was a child who had been broken, insecure and filled with even more pain. And he was angry. Violent even. They tried to question him for days but they could never get more than one word out of him: "Unbirths."

Faylin shook his head; he didn't much remember anything from that time anymore. It was blurry and pigmented with harsh feelings and strange emotions. But he did know how Akira felt. Feeling the warm touch of love was something that could change their being. But it was also something that could destroy them. If you got it could help you reach a point where you were content with what you were so long as there was someone there to help you through with it. But it could also make you angry and hateful and dangerous-like he'd become. He had known that the strange hooded man had told him if he got close with anyone that they would be destroyed. And that had been exactly had happened. He'd fallen into the essence of love with the man's daughter. It was wonderful at first, but the man had been right. He knew he loved her, but there was some dark shadow that began to enclose upon his vision whenever she came into his sight. He could feel that care he had for her, but it was always overpowered with the darkness. And one day, it was over. She was in his arms, lifeless with a gaping hole in her chest, and her blood running down his lips. With what he and Akira were, destruction would always follow.

His train of thought was interrupted by a loud commotion coming from the front gates of the world. _Oh well this could be interesting.._ He thought to himself, flashing to a rooftop of one of the shops. Akira was running from an elderly blond man to the district two doors. She let a raggedy cloth fall from her shoulders as she yanked at them, dodging various attacks from a young girl, and when she finally got the doors to budge open, there was a tall man with lots of leather and brown hair holding a sword to her head. She looked terrified and helpless. She was between a rock and a hard place. Surrounded on one side by attackers, and cornered in by the man with the blade. You could see the contempt in his eyes as he raised his sword, and that very look pissed Faylin off. The man swung his blade at Akira, and Faylin flashed there in a second, holding his own blade up to block the attack. Their blades collided with a loud cling. Akira spoke but her words were inaudible to Faylin's ears. He was angry. How could one look at her and think she was beneath them?! Had she not been like him once? She didn't choose this life, and he could understand why she was doing what she was doing. She was a child and she acting out as a child who had not been taught. But killing her would teach her nothing. Destroying her would take away her chance at ever becoming a better person. It was cruel and unfair and not right. Faylin stared at the man, his face as hard as stone. "Why do you protect this girl?" he said with cool ease. "She's a monster and she brings destruction to our world. Ever since she arrived she's caused nothing but chaos. She must be destroyed." Faylin twisted his sword arm and knocked the man's blade out of his hand. "Because she's a child and for a man to strike a child no matter what wrong they've done is pathetic and I'll not stand for it." He paused, turning to glare at the blond man and the young black haired girl. They stopped advancing on Akira, hesitant to challenge him. They could tell he was not one to be taken lightly. Faylin reached for Akira and pulled her to his side. "She's under my watch and she won't be harmed or cause any more trouble." The man thought on what Faylin was saying, but then smirked. "Ah, you're another one of her, aren't you? Nope, can't let that happen." He rushed at Faylin and Akira. Faylin brought up his blade again to counter his attack and pushed Akira to the side. Akira flipped and went for the other young girl, slicing at her with her samurai swords, moving in swift motion with her. "Yuffie!" the blond man called, retreating seeing as how he had no weapon. "Watch yourself! I'm going to go get back up!" "Me and Leon got this! No worries!" Akira swung with her blades and caught Yuffie on the arm as she flicked a throwing star in her direction which vanished into darkness as Akira dodged.

Faylin and Leon's blades connected again as they circled each other. "What are you?" Leon asked as he swung again. It was odd how he was trying to make conversation as he was fighting Faylin. It's like he knew Faylin wasn't all bad, but still wasn't willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "I wish I knew." He said as he flashed behind Leon and kicked him in the knees knocking him to the ground. Leon went down, but was back up within seconds, coming at him once more. Their swords clangs and clashed in fast motion as the zipped and jumped back and forth around each other. Leon was growing tired of not getting in a single hit, Faylin could tell. He was a good swordsman, but he wasn't a match for Faylin. Leon jumped back and held his sword over his head, chanting in a language unknown to Faylin. His sword lit up with blindingly bright light and the light formed fountain over him as he swung it down. "What the hell?!" Faylin muttered under his breath. "Okay, time to play dirty." Faylin shifted to his heartless form and knocked Leon to the ground, slashing at him. He grunted in pain as his skin was ripped. Yuffie screamed his name in the background, but it was inevitable what was happening. She was occupied by Akira, and the blond man hadn't yet returned. Leon was weakening, and so Faylin's guard was down. Leon reached behind Faylin with his sword hand and stabbed through Faylin's gut. Faylin staggered and fell off of Leon, his heartless form flickering between his human form. He lay there on the ground with a blade sticking through his stomach. More importantly, a blade made from light magic. He squeezed his eyes closed in pain. "This one's down, get the girl Yuffie." Leon said distracted holding his face in his hands.

* * *

**Akira: **  
Leon charged the two heartless, blade readied to make contact, however Faylin was ready and managed to push Akira out of the way. Her small body reacted quickly and she did a somersault in midair right in the direction of the ninja Yuffie. A two on two match, monsters vs. the people, Akira giggled as she laughed at the irony of it all. The one who had caused her the most trouble was now coming to her aid when she needed it most. She wouldn't let his attempt to save her be in vain. She was going to do all that she could to help in this struggle of light vs. dark. The blonde shouted something about going to get help to Yuffie but she wasn't focusing on that. She had to channel all of her power now and eliminate this threat so she could go help Faylin. That was all she cared about. Thanks to her heartless type agility she swung at Yuffie with swift precision, however the ninja was just as fast as the samurai and moved fluently as she dodged her dark blades. _Alright this is getting us nowhere; let's try a different approach_ the girl thought as she brought forth her darkness to the surface for all to see. Like serpents at her command the darkness wrapped around Yuffie's legs and she took advantage of the opening and sliced the girls arm. The same maneuver she had used once before on Faylin, only Yuffie couldn't heal as fast as they could. Her face grimaced with pain and it soon twisted into encouragement. The heartless girl stared in bewilderment at the sudden change in behavior only to hear the reason for it. She could hear the shuriken coming from behind and just in the nick of time jumped to the left to avoid the impact. However, Yuffie had anticipated this and had thrown smaller stars at her which unlike their larger counterpart made contact to her ivory skin. Akira yelped at the sudden sharp pain in her abdomen and arms but she had to shove the pain back, she couldn't let herself be weak when Faylin was counting on her to handle this.

She faced Yuffie yet again with a malicious glare that held not only hatred but also determination. However Yuffie didn't share her feelings, the ninja's face was twisted in horror and she screamed her partners name with such panic and distress that Akira had never heard from the young girl before. She turned around to see that Faylin had changed into his monstrous form and was winning the battle against Leon. _Damn I'm glad he's on my side instead of the other way around_ she smirked as she recalled what it was like being a victim of that beast. Yuffie tried to run to her partner's aid but Akira only tightened her darkness's grip on the young girl's legs. _This battle is over, we won_ she smirked as she watched Leon struggle against the already very one sided battle.

But something happened that no one could have predicted. With whatever strength the brunet had left he used to reach around Faylin with his blade and pierce Faylin straight through his body. She stared in pure shock and horror as her savior so strong and fearless was backing away in pain. His two forms flickering on and off and pain etched throughout his entire face. "no…" Akira whispered to herself in disbelief "no you can't die….you're the only one I have left…." Tears flowed from her eyes as she watched her only friend in this world suffer. She didn't want this; she had never wanted this to happen, not to him, anybody but him.

The man and girl were now closing in on her but she just stood there her face twisting from horror to a horrific expression. Something inside her snapped, like all of the darkness that was buried deep within her came pouring out and her entire body burned like her blood was literally boiling on the inside. She could hear voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. Her body was changing, her skin began to dull and her hands and feet were as black as coal while her midsection was a crimson color. Her trusty samurai swords morphed into her hands and she began to sprout wings from her back and antennas that spiraled down into her face. Finally as the transformation became complete she had an entire hole in the shape of a heart in her chest cavity. As the alteration became complete the darkness that she had created a barrior between her and her foes subsided, allowing Leon and Yuffie to truly see what they were up against. "He was all I had left." She said her voice very coarse and bitter. "He was my last hope….and you KILLED HIM!" She shouted as she readied herself to rip the two to shreds for what they had done to her. A final tear falling down her cheek as the darkness and her fury had finally consumed her.

* * *

**Faylin:**

Faylin lay there, breathing heavily. God, it hurt so much. Who could have known that the light they were so eager to devour could be so quick to turn against them? He flipped on his side and reached behind him to grab the hilt. The light that radiated form the sword burned him, but he didn't care. They were going after Akira and he had to be strong for her because she was the last thing that he could cling to. He grasped the hilt and yanked, screaming in pain as the blade slipped out of him. His body arched up in pain and he squirmed on the ground. "Holy shit." He groaned. "You're going to regret that" He was laying on his stomach and he pushed himself up, transforming into the heartless he was, but this time, he was bigger, his teeth were longer, and his claws were sharper. He roared with rage at Leon, and Yuffie could see the gash in his abdomen leaking with the dark drippy black blood. Leon and Yuffie stared at his and Akira's heartless forms and with an _oh-shit_ kind of face, looked at each other and ran.

* * *

**GEM: Sorry, this one is kind of long, I know.**

**But uh yeah, they get longer as we go. Some chapters have over 8,000 words. I'm going to try and split them up so that we don't kill you with lengthy-ness.**


	9. The monster within

**Akira and Faylin - The monster within**

* * *

She watched as the two warriors that had set out to destroy them run away with their tails between their legs. She glanced over at the fellow monster beside her and there was something oddly familiar about it. Although it was more cruel and foul to the eyes than its original version, she was sure that it was Faylin beside her. She sighed in relief as the realization that he was okay melted through her grieving heart. However now there was a new problem. The darkness was so strong within her, and bit by bit she was losing control over her body. Her hands clutched her head as she tried her best to suppress her monstrous urges. _Go after them_ an evil voice in her head coaxed to her in a lullaby tone. _They deserve to die, isn't that what you wanted? To avenge your friend? Stop being so weak and do what you were meant to do on this earth. Go eat their hearts, suck away their life, end it._ "no" Akira was using all of her will power to prevent her body to attack without her permission. "I don't want to be a monster anymore." She whimpered and curled into a tight ball.

Faylin grinned with a monstrous smile at the retreating pair "They won't be bothering us anymore Kira don't you worry." He said as he morphed back into his human form. However, when he looked over to the young girl he saw her grimacing in pain and still in her heartless form. He bent down to her and tried to help her in any way he could, but from deep down in the girl's throat a low growl could be heard. "Akira are you o.." he was cut off as the girls knife like hands slung out at him. _She can't control the darkness anymore_ he thought as he scuffled out of the way of her blow. The heartless stood up slowly, an obvious struggle between the girl's will power and the inner animal that was beginning to take dominance in Akira's small body. "I….I can't stop Faylin." Her voice a mixture of human and course demon as she spoke. Her body jerked unevenly as she fought to control her reactions. She was fighting so hard to not strike him again and he admired her for it. He knew exactly what was going on. This was her first time transforming, and the first time was always the hardest to control between reason and the murderous instincts the darkness contained. He raised his hands to show her he wasn't going to hurt her and slowly walked towards the frightened young girl, taking it slow to not provoke the monster inside her to see him as a threat and strike again. "Listen Akira, I know you're in there somewhere and you're doing great. Just take deep breaths, slowly shove the darkness bac…" he was cut off yet again by Akira darting towards him slashing the air wildly. "I said slowly Goddamnit!" He shouted as he jumped out of the way of her harsh attacks.

The heartless girl stopped abruptly at the sound of the man shouting at her. Her shakiness slowly subsided as bit by bit she returned to her old self. It hurt shoving this entire monster behind bars in her mind, but she fought it off, each breath making her more human than before. _What are you doing? You weak piece of shit, get out there and get hearts. WE NEED THEM!_ The voice in her head became more violent and frightful as the young girl fought to force it back. If she were handling this alone she probably would have listened and allowed the darkness to control her being. But she wasn't alone, she had an added power working with her and he stared at her with concern and worry as she fought to make him proud.

Finally, the monster was gone and all that was left was a girl with black hair, green eyes, and ivory skin. She turned to face the man, her features covered in exhaustion due to all she had been through that day. However there was something else in her face, a little bit of light. A weak smile grew on her face as she observed the man who had helped so much. "I looked everywhere for you." She finally spoke, her words weak and feathery. He eyed her questionably in response "Why?" she just laughed and shook her head. "Well if memory serves me right, I owe you some answers do I not?" the two chuckled at one another. Who would have known, two heartless so lost beyond any repair had both gained something that seemed impossible….friendship.

"Alright" he said as she shrugged his shoulders, "but not here, we have drawn too much attention to ourselves here, and since I promised to watch over you I need to take you some place safer." Her former cockiness returned "psh we can handle anything that comes our way, besides I don't need protection I can handle myself." She proclaimed with a smirk. "Uh huh which is exactly why I had to come and save your ass." He replied as he ruffled her ebony hair with his hand. She giggled "How did I know you were gonna say that."

Faylin lifted his hand to the empty space and formed another dark portal. "Will that take us to the cave again?" she asked as she eyed the dark hole curiously, worry in her eyes as she recalled being dragged through that thing last time. "Go on tough guy go see for yourself, since you OBVIOUSLY don't need me to hold your hand" he said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and replied "Even when we are on the same side you're still against me." She shook her head and walked into the dark void fearlessly. Faylin followed behind her and within a second the two biggest threats of Traverse Town vanished into the night.

* * *

**GEM: And with that, we end the first part to our story. (:**  
**If you happend to stumble upon this story and have made it this far, please review and let us know what you think. **  
**It'd mean a lot. **


	10. Duties call

**Duties Call**

* * *

Running through the courtyard, Gail was panicking about being late to her summoning; it wasn't often that she got caught, but this had been the exception.

Venturing into the depths of the historic archives (hidden in a room off of cornerstone hall,) she had discovered writings based upon a time period known as the keyblade wars, and had learned quite a few tid bits that she had found absolutely fascinating. She had been reading them with a thoughtful look on her face for what had seemed to be hours when she'd been discovered. No matter how much she appreciated the information and valued their historic value, the elders weren't pleased with her, and were going to punish her.

She skidded to a stop in front of the kings chambers. Here we go, she thought, composing her features to match the pristine young magician she was thought to be. She brushed her hair down so that it flowed in curls around her face, and she flattened her dress so that it fit her tiny frame. She reached her hand to knock on the door, but before her hand made contact, the door clicked and opened for her. She waited a moment, took in a breath, and stepped in.

"Gail Revete," a squeaky, tempered voice called. Donald, the highest mage on the court. "Come forward and confess your misdoings." She cringed at his voice having always found it on the annoying side and walked till she was facing the King, who was sided on his left by Goofy and on his right by Donald. The King, the Royal Guard Captain, and the High Mage. Honestly, what could have reading such an article done to provoke judgment by the three of them? It made no sense to her, and she was honestly baffled. "You are charged with the reading of forbidden documents, documents that were forbidden to protect against uncertain evils and most certain destruction." The king chimed in. "But your majesty! There was nothing to incline the for—" "It matters not, you knew of the restriction on the archives to those of your age, and you disregarded it due to childish curiosity and went forward to read what you knew should not be read." Donald, seeing this as an opportunity to scold her, said her name with sarcasm so deep you could hear it dripping off his bill. "There's no reason to try and get out of this. You knew what would happen." He quaked. She tried protesting, but was silenced by the king's hand. "For this misdoing, you shall be punished, and not harshly because you are one of our finest." He paused, thinking of what to say next. "Gail Revete, you are from this moment on, banished from Disney Castle."

"Banished?!" she yelled, "Where will I go! I can't go to Hollow Bastion with this humility upon my shoulders! It's entirely unfair!" she stomped her foot like a child and turned to leave. "Wait," a vaguely familiar voice called. "You are banished, but there is a mission that also comes with this banishment." She turned to face the king, and there was a new figure that was standing beside him: an old man with a graying beard that came down to his stomach. He was dressed in a blue robe with yellow stars embroidered into the fabric, and on his head, he wore a wizards cap. Yen Sid. "Since you know too much of this particular subject, we have devised a mission for you. You will walk with Yen Sid and discuss this, and we all bid you farewell and good luck."

With his dismissal, he lowered his head and began to talk to Donald and Goofy. Yen Sid walked by her and inclined his head, wanting her to follow him. He continues walking, and she hurried to catch up with him.

"You've learned of the weapons called keyblades, correct child? She nodded. "And of the history and darkness that follows, I assume?" Another nod. "Then you'll not be surprised to hear that this darkness still remains within the worlds, and that there are those who are set to harness the power, and those set to destroy it." "Yes, but it's all so confusing. I've never seen such darkness within the walls of this castle, nor within the boundaries of this world or Hollow Bastion." "Ah, yes, you see because those are the worlds whose hearts have been sealed by a keyblade master known as Sora. But that's a story for another time," he said as they were suddenly in his office. Gail flinched at the environment change, but she was used to such happenings, being a magician and all. "Which brings us to your mission child. He should be arriving within a matter of moments." She looked at him questioningly, "He?"

Her question was answered as a bright blond popped through the doorway. "Master Yen Sid! Salem reporting for duty." The boy winked at Gail as he said this, a smirk appearing on his face. "What's the pretty lady here for?" he said as his smile grew bigger. "She's here to be your guardian, since you can't seem to keep out of trouble." He thought about it, his smile fading. "Whaaaaat?" he whined, "I don't need no girl to protect me! I got this. No offence, pretty lady." "Gail." She said. "A pretty name for such a pretty lady." He smiled. "Salem Moss!" he stuck out his hand in offering welcome, but Gail ignored it and turned back to Yen Sid. "Now what is this mission?" He chuckled lightly. "You and young Salem will be venturing out into the universe to discover the plans of an order that refer to themselves as the 'Unbirths,' and a new race of heartless that have formed. These 'Unbirths' are strong, but we know not much of them. These new heartless, however, are heartless…That have taken to themselves the body and spirit of human beings. They are much stronger than any normal heartless, but in the same instance, different. I bid you both be careful."

He went on to explain to basic fundamental information surrounding the two things, telling them of how they would go about their missions, of how they would fight and prepare themselves for battle. Telling them of the risks and the dangers, to which Gail made the sarcastic remark of, "It's not like you're much giving me a choice." To which, Yen Sid ignored. Finishing up his words, Yen Sid stopped and then actually looked at the two. "Now go." He waved his hand at them, shooing them away, returning to some earlier thought he had had. _How strange_, Gail thought. _Both the King, Donald, Goofy, and Yen Sid have sent us out on this..Horribly dangerous mission, yet, none of them can spare us more than a moment's notice after they are finished. There has to be something else going on.._

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Salem as he waved his hand in front of her face. "Well come on! Let's go!" he nudged at her. "I'm hungry and I want to show you the town a bit before we go on any serious adventure. Plus, I've never been on a date with a pretty girl before." His smile was wicked. "How old are you again?" Gail questioned, squinting up at him. "15! You?" she rolled her eyes and walked past him, exiting out of Yen Sid's office and onto the stairwell, "18." She smiled back at him, and proceeded down the stairs. Calling back to him, she asked: "So, how about that lunch date?"

* * *

**GEM: Yay, two new characters. It's time to step out of the dark side of this story and into the light.**

**Shelby: Akira, Salem.**

**Sara: Faylin, Gail. **


	11. The lost solace of the keeper

**Salem and Gail - The lost solace of the keeper**

* * *

_Wow my very first mission, I wonder if this is how Sora felt when they sent him off to SAVE THE WORLD!_ The young blonde thought to himself. Salem's smile never left his face as he followed his new partner down the many flight of stairs. He never understood why a man who could poof into any room with his magic sticky thing would need so many stairs but in the long run it would help him to get stronger. After all what if there was a damsel in distress at the top of a tower and thanks to these cruel stairs he would have experience with that and wouldn't pass out from all of the excess leg work.

His entire body was high on the excitement he harbored within, but as he glanced at his female partner it didn't seem she shared his feelings of enthusiasm. He didn't really get a chance to eye her down before or else she would have noticed, but with the occasional glimpse here and there when she was too lost in thought to truly pay attention; he noticed just how radiant she was. _Definitely not like the girls in Twilight Town_ he thought as he recalled her dismissive reactions to him. Her hair was long and shown like silk with the light's touch, the color was very fair to the point it looked to be as pure as snow. Her skin was pale as well but it glowed with life and something mystic that he was sure pulsed through her veins underneath. As he began to catch up with her as they descended down the last flight of stairs he saw a furrowed expression on her angelic face. "Are you gonna be all right? You seem upset." The young blonde asked with a questioning look upon his face.

She jumped at the sudden voice amongst the quiet corridor but then smiled at the boy. "Yeah I'll be fine, just thinking" and Gail began to walk a bit faster down the steps and finally made it to the bottom, obviously trying to leave Salem behind. The blonde eyed her curiously and ran after her, as they made it outside the awkward silence just continued to cause issues with the two. _What are you doing idiot? Try breaking the ice with her_ his mind scolded him as butterflies began to develop a bit in his stomach. However, his determination always won this battle and he came up to Gail with confidence and tried yet again to get her attention. "You might wanna stop thinking so much or else your face will get stuck like that." He said with a smirk. "I'm trying to cast a protective spell around me so that when we travel on your keyblade, I won't get hurt. Thank you so much for interrupting my concentration." Gail said as she rolled her eyes at him._ Stupid stupid stupid of course that's what she was doing, how could you be so dumb! _Salem thought as he scolded himself even further in his head. However he never showed his inner defeat to her. "Well you might as well stop chanting your gibberish now cause I'm not taking you anywhere like that." He said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. The young magician's disbelief was obvious all over her face as her jaw dropped at the boy's statement. "Excuse me?"

"I'm going to be traveling with you a lot, and I refuse to travel with a frowning girl the whole way. This is my first time going on a journey like this and I want it to be filled with laughter and smiles, no frowning allowed on my keyblade." Salem said as he pressed the button that was attached to his hip and a blinding light arose as the magic from the button dressed him in a deep green armor from head to toe. He laughed loudly from within the metal armor which only amplified the sound of his childlike laugh. Now it was Gail's turn to stare with puzzlement, only to chuckle at the boys antics to cheer her up. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders "I'm starting to see why you're such a handful to Master Yen Sid." She said as she revealed a genuine smile to the blonde. "Hey if it means getting to drive around with a pretty happy girl then it's totally worth it." He said as he made his weapon the keyblade appear in his hand. He then tossed the blade to the air where the magic within it caused it to turn into a metal like scooter. With the worlds being separated there was only one way to travel from world to world. Either get a gummi ship which was easier said than done, or be super awesome and become a keyblader. Thankfully for Salem he was superbly awesome and hoped on his vehicle and motioned for Gail to hop aboard. As before she started reciting her spell in a language he could somewhat recognize thanks to Yen Sid. As she began to finish Salem pushed back his helmet to reveal a devilish grin on his face and a mischievous glint in his blue green eyes as he said "Now hold on REALLY tight to me. Wouldn't want the angel to fall." And he winked at his last comment. The 18 year old rolled her eyes at her escort and he only chuckled at her rejection. He wouldn't give up on her yet, nor would he give up on this mission. It was his dream to be a legendary keyblader like the ones that came from Destiny Islands and he refused to waste this opportunity to prove himself to all who ever doubted him.

Thankfully it didn't take that long to fly to the other side of the world where Twilight Town sat peacefully bathed in the light of the falling sun. Salem had been raised here his entire life and the thought of having to leave along with the uncertainties of whether he would be able to return were unsettling, and caused a knot to develop in his stomach. He pushed the thought away before it really began to affect his composure and prepared to land in the middle of town.

The streets were vacant which was odd since normally there is at least 1 person standing around or working. They landed on the tan bricks and Salem hit the button on his suit that reverted his keyblade and his armor back into their original appearance. Something felt odd about his hometown, something in the air that was crisp and felt unwholesome. Gail however who was new here stared at everything with wide eyed wonder. Her curiosity and amazement in his home fascinated Salem and his previous concern was shoved to the back of his head as he made his move. Although she stood over him knowledge wise, height was a different story. He had an early growth spurt and was already at 5 '7. Gail however barely passed the 5 foot range and it was easy for him to place his hand at her lower back as he pushed her in the direction he wanted to go. "Follow me my dear; I know this town like the back of my hand." He beamed down at her with a goofy grin on his face. She heaved a sigh of aggravation and shook his hand off of her "Let's just get the supplies that we are gonna need and get out of here please." She then walked towards one of the stores that were easy to spot thanks to the neon sign hanging above it. The boy only shrugged his shoulders at her obvious rejection to him and replied "Gail 1…Salem 0."

The two walked up to the store and were welcomed by a familiar face, well for Salem anyway. "Hayner?" the blonde spoke with enthusiasm all over his face as he came across the old friend from his childhood. Salem never really played with Hayner and his other friends cause they were so much older than him. But Hayner was pretty popular in the town, and Salem always looked up to his leadership. Hayner also recognized the young blonde right away and returned the enthused expression. "Wow Salem I didn't expect to see you today, what's it been like a year since you left? How ya been?"

"I'm great man! Just on a top secret mission and stuff, you know just the everyday thing for a keyblade master." Salem bragged as he flexed his muscles. He wasn't quite a master yet but Hayner didn't need to know that. "Impressive, and is this here your girlfriend?" Hayner's attention was then pointed towards Gail who was obviously uncomfortable with the meeting. "She sure i…" Salem was quickly cut off with a karate chop to his lower back. "No we are just working together for the present time is all. My name is Gail." She introduced herself formally as she held her hand out. Hayner smiled down at her and returned the gesture. "My name is Hayner and at the present time I am working at this store. Future tip, always do your homework kids." He said with a smirk. The two laughed at his joke as Salem sulked in a corner. Gail purchased all sorts of potions and remedies for the trip, probably for the best since Salem was so poor at managing money. "Alright here is your stuff, I'm glad you guys are taking the town warning and stocking up while you can." Hayner said as he put the money in the register. The teenagers looked at each other in puzzlement and then looked back at Hayner. "What are you talking about?" Salem asked. Hayner then looked up with the same puzzlement "What you didn't hear? Nobodies and Heartless have been popping up more and more these days. That's why no one is out in the streets, everyone is too scared to come out. But don't worry there has been a group of us that have been taking them out before the threat gets too big." He said with a confident smirk on his face.

_This whole time I've been away this has been going on? For how long? Why didn't anyone tell me?_ The blondes mind was becoming swamped with his own thoughts that Gail had to reply "Well that's good to hear, good luck to you guys but we best be setting out."

"No" the once happy go lucky teen was now very serious in his manner as he spoke. "What do you mean no? We have a mission to take care of, or have you forgotten about that already?" Gail protested as she scolded him, but nothing she could have said would change how he felt. "This is my home Gail, if these people are in trouble it's my job to protect them. I'm not leaving till I know for sure everything is going to be okay when I leave." There was a fire in the boys tone as he spoke. A determination to do what was right over what he was told. Gail could only stare back in disbelief as she watched the immature annoying kid she had been forced to watch turn into a serious strong-minded keyblader. She was impressed by his turn around "Well I can't leave without you so I guess I'll help you out." She said with a smile. "Thanks," he replied back to her with sincere gratitude in his blue green eyes. "You might wanna go talk to Olette, she knows more about the details of the matter than I do." Hayner interrupted. "Where is she?" Salem asked, "Near the train station last time I checked. She is organizing the supplies that are being sent to and from here."

"You can always count on Ollette for being smart." Salem and the elder man laughed as Gail was obviously left out of the loop and began to walk down the street. "Wrong way angel" Salem said giving her a wink. The talented magician laughed a bit at herself. "Well then would you stop talking and lead the way?" she teased. "Yes ma'am." And they began to walk up the cobble stoned slop towards the train station.

"I'm sorry I'm making you do this." Salem broke the silence as they continued up the street. Gail however was expecting the outburst this time "It's alright, it's for a good cause so it doesn't bother me all that much." She said with a simple smile on her beautiful face. "Oh okay that's good….soooo what did you do that was so bad you had to go on this mission with me?" the dreaded question Gail had hoped Salem would all together overlook, however her luck just wasn't that good. "I uh…kinda read some stuff I wasn't supposed to…" she said hoping that the conversation would be dropped. But Salem was persistent all the same "like what?" she thought it over on whether she should tell him or not, but the childlike curiosity held in the boys expression was impossible to say no to. "Well you see, I kinda got caught reading some stuff I wasn't supposed to. Now I'm banished from my home world and forced to do this mission." It got quiet between the two, however not for very long "OH WOW THAT IS SO COOL! YOUR'RE LIKE AN AWESOMELY COOL REBEL MAGIC LADY" Salem shouted with pure excitement radiating from his whole body. The young girl could do nothing but laugh at the keyweilder. "Never been called that but yeah I guess so." She said as she wiped away tears of laughter. "See? Right there, you're so much prettier when you smile like that. But can you keep it like that I wonder?" The blonde questioned obviously teasing her as he stroked his chin. "Ha I bet I can smile longer than you can." She challenged back to the boy a small giggle escaping her lips. His eyes glinted with approval "Alright then I accept your challenge starting….NOW!" And as if on cue heartless and nobodies appeared left and right around the duet.

Both fighters reacted swiftly as the group of intruders began to advance on them with swift speeds. A nobody dusk lashed out at Gail as she prepared one of her spells, however Salem pulled out his keyblade just in time to block it and avoid Gail from being harmed. The added time gained from this gave the magician plenty of time to use a thunder spell that knocked out 8 of the original ten adversaries. Salem stared at the sky with wonder and awe then returned that gaze to Gail "impressed?" she smirked at the blonde. His goofy grin yet again returned to his face "Very much so." He said as he went to swat at this small heartless that flew above their heads firing fire balls at them. However right as he was about to make contact an ice ball flew right past his head and vanquished the little red heartless with no effort at all. He fell on his rear with a confused expression on his face. He turned to hear a giggle from behind him "Wow you really are new at this, tell you what, you get that one over there on the ground and I'll take out any in the air all right?" Salem was a bit depressed that he couldn't offer more help but anything was better than nothing. The heartless in front of him was one he had seen before in his training sessions. It was a soldier. It came lashing out at him in attempts to steal his heart. Attempts that were futile in their making as Salem dodged the creatures attacks and slashed through the soldiers body like slicing butter. He turned to see Gail still had two more to take out. _Time to prove myself to her_ he thought as he ran toward the battle scene, There was one soldier and on Dusk, each making their way toward the young girl who was too busy preparing her enchantments to cease their steady advancements. The blonde made a daring move and slide across the ground in front of their path and amidst his skidding sliced through both beings, causing each to vanish into thin air.

"I had the situation totally taken care of I hope you know." Gail said arms crossed in front of her chest and a smirk spread across her lips. "Yeah I know but it never hurts to have some help." He smiled and nudged her shoulder, the two chuckled, both having a better understanding of the other than they had when their journey had just begun. "Come on angel, the train station is just up here now." He said and they finished their walk up the slop to their final destination to find Olette.  
The brunette they were searching for was busy counting up boxes of materials that it seemed had just come in not even moments before. Her hair came down to her mid back and her emerald eyes swayed back and forth as she peered down at her notepad. "Is that her?" Gail asked. "Yeah that's her all right, still as ambitious and hard working as she was when I left." The young man said shaking his head. "Why is that bad?" Gail eyed Salem questionably. "Oh it's not" he said noticing the mistake in his statement. "But too much ambition is bad for the body when you never have fun." He said as he winked at her and continued to walk towards the go-getting Olette.

"They still have you doing all of the dirty work?" Salem said, which in turn startled the poor girl and she almost dropped her notepad. But thankfully once she realized who it was that had disturbed her a huge smile grew on her face as she put everything down to hug the blonde "Oh my gosh Salem, how have you been? We've missed you."

"I've missed you guys too believe me, but sadly to say I didn't come up here just to say hi. What's been going on here Olette? What are all of these Nobodies and Heartless doing here." A serious look grew on the brunettes face and deep concern glinted in her eyes. "I wish I even knew but I haven't the slightest clue. It started about a month ago; they just started to appear out of nowhere and began attacking innocent people. Not a lot of course, it started off with maybe two or three a day. Now we are at about 15 each day that pop up here and there. We are lucky that they are all low level so it's easy to exterminate, but it has everybody at home terrified. That's why we are in the process of sending food and supplies to all of the homes in Twilight Town. It's too dangerous for everyone to be out and about."

The peppy blonde face soon dropped to one of distraught. "Why didn't anyone tell me this was going on? I could have been helping by now." There was almost a plea in his voice. "We would have if we could, but no one would let us come get you. Besides really we have so many people here willing to fight and protect the city that it was all right." She said as she tried to comfort her younger friend but that was easier said than done. _I let them down, I couldn't be here for them when they needed me most and now I'm not even needed at all. They've already replaced me_. His eyebrows furrowed as the thought pierced his heart deeper and deeper. Gail noticed the change in her partner and said "Hey now no frowns remember? You should be proud you come from such a tough town that can defend themselves so well." Her smile was enough to melt all of the doubt and uncertainty Salem had running through his mind. He smirked and put his hands over his head, "They all learned it from me don't cha know." And the once bitter atmosphere was replaced with good will and intent.

"Oh but I did hear this rumor that's been going out you might be interested in." now both teens were eyeing her curiously "What is it?" Gail asked. "Well you see, there have been sittings of a man and woman out by the old mansion out of town. No one knows who they are or how they got here but there is always the possibility that maybe they are the ones doing this." The two thought this over "Humanlike beings who are like heartless but aren't….maybe they are the Unbirths Master Yen Sid warned us about." Gail spoke her blue eyes wild with the excitement of this new discovery. "Unwhat?" Salem replied back "Were you not listening?" Gail asked with both hands on her hips "Honestly no, but I do know where the mansion is so you can just fill me in on the way." The boy laughed as he ran out the door. "He never changes." Olette said as she giggled at the blonde's absent minded behavior. "Well that doesn't make me feel any better." Gail laughed as she jogged out in the same direction as her teammate. "Don't worry he means well!" Olette hollered back, but Gail knew that already. Something about Salem just gave that off, yes he might be a bit reckless and foolish, but underneath that was a heart of gold. _One heart of gold, another pure as silver, together we are the lights last hope against the darkness. _She thought as she walked out of the glass doors of the train station and followed Salem down to the old mansion.

* * *

**GEM: Told you they got longer. **


	12. The light within the darkness

**Salem, Gail, Faylin, and Akira - The Light within the darkness**

* * *

Salem was running at a pace that Gail couldn't quit keep up with, due to his legs being several inches longer than hers. "Hey! Wait up!" she called, panting for breath as he ran off, leaving her behind. She grumbled under her breath, coming to a stop. He probably wouldn't even notice he'd left her behind until he'd reached his destination…He did seem to be the type to be oblivious to the real important things in life, and she guessed that's where she came in. Where she was meant to guard and protect him..From the evil things in life, and ultimately, himself. "Ugh!" she yelled in frustration, "I'm never going to get home like this! I can't believe I've already lost sight of him and it hasn't been more than two hours..." she hung her head in shame and stomped her feet like a child. "Stupid stupid stupid!" She hated this: not knowing anything about her surroundings and being alone. It wasn't something she was used to; in fact, it was something she'd never been exposed in all her life. Growing up, she'd been surrounded, sheltered, and loved by all, and she'd never felt the unease given off by being alone.

She rubbed her arms, feeling an instant chill creep up her arms. It wasn't that the temperature had gone down; it was that there was something giving off the illusion as such. She turned quickly, her eyes wandering, to see the essence of a man vanishing into a puff of smoke, and in his wake, leaving behind crawling heartless that looked as if they were waiting to pounce. Within a moment's notice, they were racing at her and she twisted and exposed her back to them. One jumped on her and sunk his teeth into her shoulder, and she screamed. Once her voice ripped through the air, the heartless was thrown off with a burst of blue fire; it fell to the ground and shriveled up, vanishing within the flame. She held her shoulder and glared at the rest of the heartless. "That's right, screw with me some more." Not seeming to recognize her words, they ran at her again, to which she front flipped over them. Her hair fell in her eyes, and blood ran down her arm. "So not in the mood for this right now." A spell was at her lips quicker than the heartless could move, and time was frozen. "That's more like it," she muttered, conjuring another spell. The emblem of the high magery court appeared in a circle beneath her feet: displayed in gleaming white light, it was an intricate design of curved magical symbols, stars, circular patterns, and ancient writing, all surrounding the outline of a singular spiked crown. She moved her arms with delicate grace around her frame, released time, and released her spell; an encompassing wall of white light shot out from around her and passed through the heartless, stunning them momentarily. She let down her arms, the emblem vanishing with such an act. Closing her eyes to wait, the heartless shrieked out, and she opened her eyes to witness their doom. The dark monsters imploded with a burst of light, and they were gone. Well, so much for that, she thought, reaching back to graze the wound on her shoulder. Casting a cure spell, her shoulders rolled back in tension, and then relaxed as the pain dulled to a faint numbness.

"Anyone else?!" she yelled out in frustration. "Come on, I'm ready for you! Show yourself!" No answer. Angry and annoyed at first being left, and then being attacked by a hoard of stronger heartless, she stormed off down the alleyway kicking random objects out of her way. She was a tiny short fury and it wasn't the best of ideas to get in her way like this. Coming upon a crowd, she dived right in, shoving people out of her path, ignoring their protests, and called out Salem's name. Not to her surprise, there was no answer. Continuing onward near the very edge of the crowd, she shoved the wrong person. "Hey, watch where you're going, kid." A tall, blond man said, looking down at her with distaste. "Kid?" she said with mock humor, "I'll have you know I'm an adult." "Oh yeah," he said pushing her back, "Sure doesn't look much like it. What are you? 5? Better watch yourself punk, little girls like you can get hurt out here in the big bad world." A vein in her eye twitched, and he laughed at her. "Respect." A white haired girl said, stepping beside the older man. "Ain't no little kid gonna push around Seifer here. He's the man." Another burly goon. Gail took a step back and held up her hands. "That's what I thought," the blond man said smirking. "Oh, is it?" Gail asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "I think you might want to watch what you say to me, Seifer," his name rolled off her tongue with disgust. "Be a big man, quit having your lackeys boost your ego, and fight me." Smiling, she pulled pack her fist and went for a punch, but instead of making impact with Seifer's body, she sent out a gust of wind that knocked him ten feet into the air and on his back. Walking over to stand in from of him, she towered over him for such a short person. "Now, what was that you were saying?" He jumped up and grabbed her by the throat and slammed her to a wall. "I believe it was that little girls like you can get hurt real easy in the big bad world." His grip tightened, and her feet barely touched the ground as she dangled. The words, "I'm…not…a…little..girl…" escaped her lips as she struggled for air. There wasn't such a thing as defeat to Gail, and she certainly she wouldn't allow herself to lose to such a…normal human being.

Magic rippled off of her in waves, and it was obvious that he could feel it from the look of anxiety that flashed behind his eyes. "Y..yeah." she exhaled. "Be..afraid." she smiled, clenching her teeth. Seifer was picked up off the ground and his hand released from around her throat. She sucked in air as she fell to her knees. She held out one hand, keeping Seifer suspended in thin air. "Now," she coughed, "you're going to take me to the old mansion, and you're going to do it quickly. Or else I'm going to harm you very badly." She released him, and he landed on his feet. "Okay, okay miss magician." She looked up at him with a grimace, "That's The Tempest Blazere, or Gail, subcinctus figurae, magician, and guardian of the High Court of King Mickey."

He held up his hands, obviously not knowing what she meant, and started walking. She followed him and rubbed her neck. Stupid stronger people. Weakness in her size and strength would always be a disadvantage to her. She cursed who ever her parents had been. Damned be them with their short height and tiny frail bodies. If only there was a spell that could work to strengthen her in her human form. But that was wishful thinking. The only way she could change form was when she shifted..She'd been given the special ability to change into a dragon as a child and she didn't really recall any memories of the event..but any spell outside of her dragon form to alter her physical being would leave her disfigured and horribly grotesque. They walked in silence, and it was terribly awkward to be tailed by his posse. She felt like they would jump her and pummel her at any given moment, so she always had a defense shield cast right beyond the tip of her tongue. "Relax punk." The blond man whose name barely escaped her said, "We're not going to hurt you. You've proven you're tough and can take care of yourself." "Is that so?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "Yeah, it is. So, know anything about all these monsters that keep popping up around here?" She shook her head, "No..That's actually kinda the reason I'm here and need to go to the mansion. You see, we've been told that there's been strange sightings of a man and a woman, and that they're believed to have been part of the cause.." she stopped herself, realizing she'd made a mistake. "We? Who are you traveling with?" "Salem…Moss? I think." Her voice faded with the last name. "Oh, that punk loser? I hate his guts. Always thinks he's doing something good, but really, he's just getting in the way of the real helpers. He was never of much good use. Ran off and hid when the town was in danger, you see." Stopping, his posse ran right into her. "Hey!" the girl called, "Watch it brat," the big burly man said, shoving her aside. "He..he ran? Why would he do that?" Gail asked. "Dunno," the blond man continued. "All I know is that he's a good for nothing coward." Utterly shocked by this revelation, Gail questioned Mickey's and Yen Cid's motives.._How could they put me in with a coward? Someone..who just..up and abandoned his home when he could have been doing something to protect it._ "Alright, we're here," the man said, stopping in front of a crack in the city wall. "Follow the forest path up the hill and you'll make it to the mansion in about 15 minutes. Good luck punk." He mock saluted her, turned to his friends, and jogged off with them following close to his sides.

The crack reeked of damp darkness, and Gail was nothing if not hesitant to venture into the blackness that seeped from within it. "Ugh, so gross." She said, cringing as she walked through the tight crack, coming into a vast green forest. It was dark, and her eyes took a moment to adjust, but once they had, she was able to easily spot the path that she was meant to take. It was a twisted and curved path that wrapped around trees and rocks, and ultimately seemed perilous with its sharp turns and steep falls. An owl's cry echoed through the trees high limbs, causing Gail to jump. The forest was dark and menacing, and she could feel eyes watching her as she hurried along the trail. Stumbling in the dark, she fell a few times, scrapping her knees. Not bothering to distract herself with a healing spell, she jogged the rest of the path, her arms wrapped around her in a somewhat comforting embrace. She finally reached the end of the trail and emerged outside of the forest in front of a towering gate that guarded the entrance of the mansion. "Salem!" she cried, spotting him. He ran to her and shook her. "You didn't keep up.." his words were rushed. "Sa—" "We've got to get out of here..It's too dangerous..There's something bad..More than just something, more like somethings..but it's bad…and I can't let you get hurt not after I-"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud noise from behind them. They twisted around to see a dark laser shooting up out of the roof of the mansion. It folded into a dark ball of fire in the air, and shot directly towards them. "Move!" Gail screamed. Salem, awestruck by the sight, stood in his place and Gail jumped on him, casting a shield spell that was rocked back by the force of the fireball. When the fireball made contact with the ground right in front of where they stood, the ground cracked and split, and dark fire spilled off in waves in their direction. "Shit," Gail yelled, her arms extended to brace the walls of the shield. "Don't just stand there! Get ready or something!" her eyes pleading with Salem. Snapping out of his shock, he summoned his keyblade to his hand and took on a fighting stance. "I can't hold for much longer, the darkness is too strong for this spell—" the shield collapsed and they were thrown against the iron gates with a force great enough to shake them to the core.

The dark flames rippled through the air and singed the hairs on their arms. "Salem..Salem..Salem!" Gail was shaking him, but he was unconscious at the moment. She blew a cure spell on him, stepped in front of him, and stood to face her opponents. From within the vortex of swirling fire, emerged a man and a woman. The man was tall and lean with white hair and eyes to match Gail's own; built with muscles and an exposed chest, he wore nothing but a single pair of pants adorned with belts, chains, and charms. On his arms were gloved gauntlets, and on his fingers, various rings that emitted great power. From his ears hung several piercings and cuffs, but what stood out to Gail the most was one particular trait: his eyes. One eye was glistening with the same blue ice hers was, but the other was covered by a patch..Behind that patch, she could sense the source of an immense darkness..One that exposed her to more darkness than she'd ever seen in her life. There was so much pain and anger coming from this man, and he seemed to be tormented from within the very core of his being to the flesh that covered his decaying heart. The woman, of a younger age, had dark ebony hair that fell around her face and in her eyes with delicate grace. She was tiny and fragile looking, but there was a stern seriousness to her features that set her aside from any weak individual. Her attire consisted of a deep violet strapless dress that came to her knees, and ankle high combat boots. Her skin was pale, but there was a light flush to it. You could tell that the two shared similar emotions of agony, but hers were purer; it had a darker, dangerous look to it, and Gail was not going to underestimate the woman's abilities in correspondence with destruction.

The woman twitched and her mouth gaped open a bit; licking her lips she turned to the man, her eyes full of question. "Not yet, Akira," he whispered quietly, taking in the appearance of Gail and Salem. "Aww, but Faylin! Their hearts shine with such pure light…I'd love to just have a taste? Can I? Cannnnn I?" She was kneeling next to Salem within an instant, running her fingers through his pale blond hair. "Oh, this one would be such a delight. His heart is beautiful, and I really must have it for my own." Tracing her fingers down his rib cage, Salem flinched, coming to. "Why, hello beautiful," he said with a goofy grin, and upon seeing the absolute look of horror on Gail's face, he realized what she was and shoved her off. "Get off me, monster!" Akira, shocked at how he went from sweet and caring, to harsh, blunt, straightforwardness, fell on her behind and laughed. "And he has spirit! How can you not let me have him Faylin?" her lips formed a pout and she crossed her arms.

Faylin, however, was not paying attention to Akira; walking around Gail in circles, he studied her with genuine interest. "What is your name?" he asked her with calm ease. She snapped at him, "Gail. Why? So you can whisper my name into my ear as you rip my heart from my chest cavity?"Her sarcasm dripped as she readied herself for him. He shook his head, "No, not at all..You're just, familiar to me, is all. I'm not certain why though." Gail ignored her feelings of familiarity and began to counterclockwise circle his movements. "Oh yeah? And what's that gonna do to stop you? You're…one of them." She paused. "One of the monsters we were told about..You're the ones who have been bringing destruction to this town." "Not true!" Akira said gloomily. "We've only just arrived! I hate you pathetic mortals who always think you can blame your silly problems on us. It's unfair and stupid, and you all deserve to die for such thoughts." "Akira, quiet." Faylin said, raising his finger to his lips, silencing her.

"Why is it that I know you? It's like..there's some memory that's lodged somewhere within my skull that's just begging to be let out…But I can't quite picture it." Gail shrugged, dancing out of his reach as he moved in for her. "Maybe I remind you of one of your victims you savagely murdered?" He stopped, pondering the thought. "No, I'm not like the girl. I don't go out and randomly attack innocents. I take out those guilty." Gail laughed. "Ah, a hero. You're not a hero. You're..a freak of nature." "Maybe so," he responded, "but that won't keep me from figuring this out." He had his arms around her and held her tight within his grasp. "I don't like to not know things, you see. And I'm willing to go to any means to get them." Akira laughed, making an annoyed face. "Yeah, he is. No use in fighting it." Gail, out of frustration, screamed and struggled to break free of him, only to fail, "I will not be manhandled again! I'm so sick of this!"

Faylin's eyes widened as it happened: Gail's body stretched and convulsed in his arms, growing from a human and transforming into a gleaming crystalline dragon. "W-what?" he said, as the dragon ripped free of his arms and gathered around Salem. "Woah." Was Salem's response. "Well two can play at that game," Faylin said, smirking and shifting into his heartless form. The dragon and the heartless shot up into the air and struck at each other with the powers of light and darkness, creating flashes of destruction as they tried to best each other.

Akira looked at Salem, shrugged, and flew at him; her hands morphed into claws and she slashed at his chest. "Your heart will be mine!" she shrieked, cutting his clothes and ripping at his flesh. "Not today," he said, batting her off with his keyblade. Where the blade made contact with her skin, it sizzled and rotted away, leaving a blackened mark that oozed gushing goopy blood. "Bastard," she said with a menacing smile."I'll destroy you."

From above and below, there were cries of pain and droplets of blood that rained throughout the air. Not one part was winning, though the heartless did have the upper hand. "Gail…I can't do this much longer." Salem said, blocking another one of Akira's dark magic spells. "What's the matter, boy, letting a little girl beat you up?" Akira winked. "No..I'm not losing..You are." You could tell he was tiring and struggling to keep pace with her, and if he were to lose, then Gail would have ultimately failed her mission. Backing up from a blow from Faylin, her dragon form sucked in a wisp of cold air, and blew thousands of ice shards at the oncoming heartless, temporarily putting him at a disadvantage, and zoomed down to pick Akira up in her mouth and sling her aside.

It was time for the two team's ultimate power to clash.

Faylin transformed back into his human form and went to Akira's side. He whispered in her ear and her eyes widened with shock, but her face was quick to turn into a happy leer. Gail, seeing this, coiled around Salem's body and began summoning a spell. With her dragon form, her spells were amplified several hundred times their original capacity, and there wasn't much that would survive it.

Gail's body rocked with power, and fire rained down over her head. Prisms of light formed around her being and twisted in elegance with the tune of the fire. Lightning streaks connected the prism, and an icy fog gathered around her and Salem as a protecting force. A gale wind swirled around the fog, with it, the flames on one layer, the lightning wall on the next, ice spikes on the outer rim, and a light power so strong that even the darkest of hearts would be purified by its essence. It expanded in pulsating rhythms, forming a curved wall around the two, and then it began.

Faylin observed Gail's magic in horror, knowing that if something weren't done, he and Akira would surely be destroyed. He instructed her to transform into her heartless shape, and he did the same. They joined hands and collected their power together, channeling the darkness within them to form a dark star that shot up in the sky with them at its core. Faylin breathed in through his many nostrils, and exhaled. Dark power circled around them and beams of darkness shot to the ground, destroying all that it touched. Directly beneath the dark star, heartless rose out of the town, and gathered to increase the power of the darkness that coursed in fluid motion around the two.

The powers of light and darkness clashed, creating a burst of power so great that it repelled each other, throwing them apart. In the powers wake was left a tear that split apart what was reality and what wasn't, and from in between the tears lips, stepped out a man. The man wasn't a menacing looking one, more so a calm melancholic looking person. The four stared at him in awe, stunned by what had just happened.

"What a worthless quarrel you all struggle for." The man said. His voice didn't make any sound, but they knew he was talking. He flicked his head, and everyone was pinned to the ground. "Now, I'm going to make this easy for you all." The force that crushed them all was breaking bones; Gail screamed as she felt a rib crack. "Gail!" Salem yelled, his chest being forced down even further with the exhaling of air. "Faylin..Make it..stop.." Akira whimpered. "It..It hurts."

"ENOUGH!" The man's vacant voice screamed in their ringing ears. "You WILL listen to me!"

The four couldn't breathe so there was no other option but to listen; fighting was useless when you couldn't get up and move and were weakened to the point of uselessness. As they fell into submission, he let off up on the pressure and allowed them a singular breath.  
"Now there's a certain destruction that's unfolding within the realm of worlds, and guardians are needed to protect the purity of heart. Will you step forward and accept? Or will you be destroyed?"


	13. Upon their arrival

**Akira- Upon their arrival - flashback**

* * *

As she walked through the dark portal Faylin had made she could feel whips of darkness caressing her skin like Smokey tentacles reaching out to have a feel of what life is like. The touch wasn't nearly as violent and scary as she had remembered from her previous trip through this dark vortex. Now it was just curiosity of how darkness so pure could be so welcoming as she and her companion walked through it to a world that was sure to be unknown to her. _I wonder if I can make one of these too._ She thought as she traveled. The trip itself wasn't that long and before she knew it there was a white light up ahead.

As she stepped out of the vortex she was no longer in the streets of Traverse Town, she wasn't in a street at all at this point. She was in some kind of mansion that was covered in dust and stray items that looked to have collected years of neglect in their generation. She looked around at awe as she noticed that the windows were surging with light. A light no ordinary street light could ever provide. Faylin began to walk out of the vortex and eyed the young girl curiously as he closed the portal with a simple hand gesture. However Akira didn't even pay attention to the man, her mind was fascinated on the light. "Is this sunlight?" her voice almost a whisper. "Umm yeah why?" the man eyed her like a lunatic. "I've always heard stories and fairytales about sunlight, how a big star so bright and warm shines down on the people below. But I always thought that was just a story for little kids." A smile grew on her face, nothing huge, just a smile that slightly brushed her face as thoughts of her childhood came pouring in. "My world doesn't have a sun, there is only a blue moon that lights up everything day after day. We have a giant city that stays lit by street lights, music that plays at every corner, but never a sun." Her hands danced in the rays like a child playing with a new toy. Faylin walked up slowly to the young girl, not wanting to break her of her trance. Maybe if he kept her calm like this he could get more out of her.

"What happened to your world Akira?" her hands stopped abruptly and the smile that was so close to showing a full set of teeth stiffened into a twisted frown. She said not a word at first but he could see her eyes move frantically back and forth as if she were seeing something in her mind's eye that was both horrific and wicked at the same time. "The black cloud came." She spoke suddenly. "I have no idea where it came from or why it chose our world. But me and the guys watched as it swiftly covered the night sky with dark swirling clouds and lightning." "the guys?" Faylin interrupted but Akira ignored him. "For the first time the streets were desolate and cold as the people all ran inside thinking it was just a bad storm. Oh how stupid we all were….at the time I had no idea what heartless were or their purpose in life, which really made it all the more scary. Leain and I grabbed any weapon we could to try to protect our home, I grabbed kitchen knives from the drawer and he managed to find a plank of wood from out back. We ran outside and already found that…these black monsters were tearing up everything. Our tall buildings crumbled and fell on all of those innocent people. Warren was already outside helping so we ended up joining him….there was, this little boy…he had his leg stuck underneath the rubble….And….and….I don't wanna talk about this anymore." Her voiced cracked as she began to walk away. Anything to distract herself from the intense ache in her chest from the memories of that day. _He left you…he left you…_her thoughts tormented her as she began to walk up the dusty stairs. "Where are you going?" "I'm looking around this place, feel free to keep talking I just need a change of scenery is all" the girl heartless replied as she drew lines in the dust with her fingers as she caressed the railing on her way up. The man nodded in understanding and flashed to the top of the stairs. "How long have you been this way?" "About a month now, I woke up in an ally in Traverse Town and had been living there ever since." "What made you attack me?" she sighed heavily and took a right turn at the peak of the stairwell. "Honestly?" the man nodded and raised one eyebrow as he awaited his desired answer. "I thought you were someone I knew." "Do you normally attack people you know?" he answered with a scoff. "Again don't want to get into this but yes I do when they are no good betraying scum that I loathe with every ounce of my existence." There was intense malice in her voice and manner as the darkness in her began to stir at the mention of this conversation.

The two reached a doorway, and the young girl's curiosity was just too much to resist examining what sat behind it. She creaked the door open and revealed an entire white room. Everything about it was a perfect ivory, the walls, floor, and furniture. The only amount of color that lie inside were childlike drawings scattered here and there on the walls. "Wow" the girl whispered in astonishment and circled the room like a child in a toy store. "It's so pretty in here." A smile of wonder once again grazed her lips as she explored the room. Faylin chuckled at the female "monster's" human like curiosity and continued with his investigation. "Why do you attack innocent people? Do you not feel a since of right and wrong?" the girl swiveled around on the heal of her feet and faced the man with an irritated expression "Why do you keep asking all of these questions that have nothing to do with you? I don't see how that has any effect on you or anybody else but me." She said with a growl in her tone. Faylin furrowed his eyebrows at the young girl "It IS my problem when you're under my care now and I'm responsible for you. Besides you're the only other human heartless I've ever met, every ounce of information you can give me can help us to both better understand just what it is we are. Why are we so different? Why do we have the powers that we have. Don't you want to know too? Or would you rather be ignorant…" "Of course not!" her voice was beginning to rise as her temper grew. "It's just…hard to trust anyone…" she said as she slumped over in defeat.

It grew silent between the two and Akira closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breathe. "I don't mean to kill all of those people…"her voice almost a whisper. "It's like there is something inside me making me do it, I get this intense burning in my throat and my normal way of thinking is possessed by this beast on the inside. I'm not me when I get hungry, I'm a heartless who doesn't see who is innocent and who is sinful. They are all food, and food is strength, food is power, food is survival." There was a deep depression in her voice, a side that was rarely displayed to anyone. However it did not last long. Her eyebrows furrowed and a sneer developed on her face. "But isn't that how it's supposed to be? Heartless don't pick and choose who is good and who is bad, they kill everything just like they did to my friends and family, they weren't bad…I wasn't bad." Her voice picked up as her anger flickered again, "People in themselves are weak, and they are all out to only save themselves. I've seen it so many times, when times get tough and the darkness approaches them they could care less about the survival of others, all that matters to them is their own selfish hearts staying intact. When I died at least it was in an attempt to save the people I loved and cared for. I sacrificed everything for others only to get stepped on, forgotten, and turned into this horrible monster." Her fists clenched and she could feel her hands heat up as she continued. "I kill the weak, whether they are good or bad. Weak people don't deserve to keep their hearts. Not when mine was stronger and I was still shown no mercy by anyone. Human and heartless alike." A hand landed on her shoulder with fierce clench and it startled her from her fierce train of thought. She turned her head to see Faylin with a deep agony in his face, there was something in his ice blue eyes that told her that he understood her pain. Could perfectly well comprehend what it was like to be alone and shunned by the world, the damage that cause on one's soul. However, there was something else in those eyes as they peered down into her soul. Was it pity? Disgust? She couldn't put her finger on it. "So you kill to protect yourself from being hurt again?" he asked her. Her temper flashed again and one single tear escaped as she broke his hold on her. "Just shut up, just shut up okay! I don't wanna talk about this anymore. Do you have enough information that you need now?" The man sighed "Yes, for now anyway."

The two left the Ivory room in complete silence, an eerie silence. "Why did you take us here anyway?" Akira finally spoke up as they started to explore the East wing of the upstairs mansion. "I came here once and it seemed like the most discrete place we could hide out for the time being and not draw any suspicion." "And were exactly is here again?" Akira remarked as she balanced herself across the dusty banister. She was trying hard to control her emotions from earlier by distracting herself any way she could. Even though Faylin's topics were hard on her, it wasn't his fault. He had no clue how much it would hurt her and even so he deserved to know the truth. After all he was sacrificing a lot taking care of her and had proven a lot to her since he had gone out of his way to save her life regardless of how cruel she had been to him. _I want to help him too_. She couldn't explain why the desire was there but it felt right, it felt human. And that in itself was something worth following.

"This is Twilight town, a world in the middle of light and dark." The whole idea of such a thing sounded enchanting and made her want to explore even more. _What other magical surprises were to be found behind the next corner, on the other side of this door_. She thought as she began to open the next creaky door. Dust fell from the sudden movement of the door and covered her ebony hair. Faylin brushed it off and the young girl giggled a bit. However when she looked up she was in a large library with book shelves touching the ceiling. Thousands of books littered the shelves, all different colors and sizes. The carpet was a deep green and there was a long table in the center of the room that was bathed with the foreign sunlight that beamed from a large window on the far side of the room. "Wow I've never seen so many books in my life." Akira exclaimed with a gasp. "Reading is how I learned many of the spells and seals I use in battle. How many do you know?" Akira fiddled with her fingers and looked down with an embarrassed expression on her face. "Umm, we don't have any of that stuff in Lunar Valley. Magic and stuff that is. That stuff doesn't exist in my world." "Oh I see" Faylin said adverting his eyes to the already uncomfortable teenager. "yeah so you can imagine my surprise when Leon and his goons fired ice and fireballs at me." She laughed out loud. Faylin chuckled at the thought and continued to observe the room. "Well here," he said handing her a Gold book that was torn on the edges. "This should give you a good start on it." "Oh wow thanks." She said in awe as she examined the book with wonder and fascination. The two continued to go through the room looking here and there, "So then where did you learn to fight?" The question caught Akira off guard but she answered calmly "Oh no one, I guess I just let the animalist instincts take over and I just picked up on it from there. Probably not the best way to go about it compared to the 'fierce' warrior I'm sure you trained from but hey what can you do." She shrugged with a smirk on her face. "I could always teach you." He said coolly as he leaned against the wall, eyeing her amusingly. However she did not share the same amusement in his gaze as she looked at him with pure puzzlement. "Are you serious?" "Do I honestly look like the guy who would say something and not mean it?" Faylin asked with slight irritation in his tone. She looked down at her feet and thought it over. "I can't ask that of you." She answered. However, the once calm atmosphere was interrupted by a large sword swinging towards her head in startling speeds. She managed to sense the upcoming weapon heading for her before it got to close and bent out of the way and jumped to the other side of the table. "What the Hell?!" She shouted, her temper shooting up through the roof at the uncalled for attack on her face. Faylin smirked "Nice reflexes, but your posture is terrible." And he flew towards her in alarming promptness. Fire burned in her palms and she summoned her trusty swords to defend herself on the unexpected onslaught. "I don't want to fight you Faylin!" She shouted as his sword made contact on her duel blades, his weight becoming a problem as he used it to overpower her. "See? If your posture were better you wouldn't be having such a hard time keeping me off of you." He said as he applied more pressure upon her. Anger flashed through her tiny frame and darkness blasted out of her skin, pushing him off of her. "Are you deaf or something? I don't want to fuck'n fight you!" She snarled at the man, her heartless nature peeking its ugly head. "We aren't fighting, you're learning." He answered coolly. "You can't make me do something I DON'T wanna do!" she shouted back. "Umm, I'm pretty sure I can little one." And he slung his blade midair which released a dark slash that cut through the air and aimed right at her. _I'm learning huh?_ She thought as a plan developed in her brain. As the darkness from his blade moved swiftly towards her she gathered her own darkness to the edge of her blade and slung it off just as he had. Both hit each other with remarkable power the impact crushed the table between them, not only that however.  
Little did both heartless know that underneath the green carpet they walked upon so carelessly was a secret room that was covered with metal and blinking lights. The earlier tension of battle was soon denigrated as both fighters peered down at the unknown basement of the mansion. "Whoa I didn't know this was here." Faylin said as he began to walk down the concrete steps. Akira was in the process of following him however something else caught her attention. "Do you smell that?" the girl asked in wonder. "Smell?" Faylin asked, obviously blown back by such a random question. "Yes smell stupid, I'm pretty sure I'm speaking English" she replied coldly and Faylin only rolled his eyes at her. She took in a deep breath and the scent was still there only slightly stronger. "There is a boy here" she said and looked up to see that her suspicions were correct, a blonde boy with vivid blue green eyes peered at them through the window with pure fear and horror on his face. Her feet never moved however her face grew twisted as she examined the new food with intense hunger. The boy saw that he had been discovered and ran away from the window in an attempt to try to escape. However, Akira ran after him and shot out of the room to go after her new prey. But unfortunately half way down the stairs Faylin flashed in front of her before she could rush out of the mansion doors. "Just a moment little one, let's play with him for just a moment." He whispered coldly. Akira wasn't entirely sure what he was planning, however it sounded beautifully cold. Which was enough to peek the interest of her inner heartless.


	14. Unwanted trust

**Salem, Gail, Akira, Faylin - Unwanted trust**

* * *

Once the man saw that there would be no protests, he lifted his power from the four and stepped down to the ground; his clothes swayed to an invisible breeze and his hair fell around his face in perfect form. His eyes were cold and sharp. With a casual flick of the fingers, the four were lined in front of him, standing as still as statues with perfect posture-their bodies out of their control. With the voice of a faint echo, he began to talk. "There is not much within the hearts that dwell among the world's that would not be desired of such evils that roam in the shadows cast by light, and there is not much that is not of greater value to those who are capable of grasping it. Written in the scripts of fate, your destinies have been played out and depicted to one final destination, but it is of your own choice and will of how you arrive. You can take separate paths of destruction and end with failure, or you can work together, and end with success. The choice is left to your hearts, however, and I do presume you shall make the right one. But as I am not an all knowing being, merely a messenger, how am I to know of such becoming?" the man rambled on, a thoughtful look on his face. "Within your spirits' is hidden endless strength and power, and by my touch, I shall break the first of many hidden locks, and begin the process of unleashing it. It is a simple gift, really, but one that will benefit all of you in your journey." The man stroked each of their foreheads with his pointer finger. "I bid you farewell children, please, do make it easy for us who struggle for greater purposes that unknown to you." He bowed, and with a wisp of air, he was gone; the four stumbled and fell to their knees, weakened and weary of the man's appearance.

As soon as the spell had worn off on the four Salem ran straight for Gail. She clutched her mid region in desperation and a look of agony arose on her face. "GAIL OH MY GOD ARE YOU GONNA BE OKAY?" The young blonde shouted, panic painted in his voice. The two heartless seemed to be okay for the most part, their wounds if any healed almost instantaneously, but Salem barely noticed. His thoughts were racing a hundred miles a minute. _She has to be okay, it's my fault she got hurt cause I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't protect her, I can't protect anything. Oh my god she just has to be okay._ His hands shook as his own emotions began to get out of hand, however Gail sensed this and looked up at the frightened boy with a smile. "Don't worry Salem I'll be fine." She whispered and raised her hand to the sky. A bright green light began to flow in waves from her palm and the light showered on her damaged body. Tiny green sparks began to stream down to her abdomen and within seconds Gail's once horrific expression was replaced with one of relief. "Oh wow what was that?" Salem asked  
"A rather ancient healing spell." A voice from behind him responded and as Salem turned around he saw that it was the man with white hair that had spoken. Each party tensed up with recognition that the two sides were still present. They stood in uneasy silence until finally the scary girl from before spoke up. "Who the hell was that Faylin?" It was hard to believe the brutal monster from before now stared desperately at her companion with fear in her eyes. The man only shook his head, unable to even speak. His eyes were clouded with deep thought and concern in his face. Gail stood, now fully healed from her injuries. Her stance one of full confidence even in the face of these murderous beasts as she remained in deep thought from the current events. He admired her for her bravery.

"What no one can answer me?" the girl continued, frustration growing on her delicate yet fierce features. "Ugh you people are so useless, if you two hadn't gotten in the way we could have taken him out!" the girl shouted obviously referring to Gail and him as being the weak links. This sparked a flame of irritation in Salem "Oh yeah I'm sure that's EXACTLY what would have happened since you were so powerless to do anything when he got here." The blonde smarted back. In a flash of a second the girl went from being ten feet away to a couple inches from his face, hand back and ready to slap him with all of her might. "WHY YOU INSULENT LITTLE BRAT!" The monster shouted as her hand came close to impact, however a voice interrupted her. "Stop!" The older companion said, it wasn't a shout or even in a yelling tone. But it was fiercely stern and was enough to stop the girl in her tracks. The intense rage from before simmered a bit as she swiveled around and paced back and forth to the side. Obviously doing all she could to obey the command.  
It was then that Gail finally spoke "Well one thing is true, if we have any hope of defeating him or anybody like him…it's going to have to be together…" She eyed the two heartless with a suspicious glance, obviously wondering if she trusted these two well enough to work with them. After all they were still complete strangers. "My name is Gail" she continued. "Gail Reverte, I am the Tempest Blazere of King Mickey's High Court from a world named Disney Castle. This is Salem Moss, a keyblader here from Twilight Town. We were sent on a mission to collect information on the Unbirths that are ruining the balance between the worlds. If there is anyway either one of you could assist would be extremely helpful." The girl only rolled her eyes at the request and folded her arms over her chest. _Geez someone is stubborn_ Salem thought as shook his head at the pretty heartless in front of him. The older man however seemed intrigued by such a humble request and stroked his chin in thought. A smile grew on his face as he spoke "My name is Faylin Moore and this young lady beside me is Akira Newborn. We are both heartless as I'm sure you could tell who have taken human forms. It would seem that you and I have a common interest my dear Reverte. We both desire information. Unfortunately I have none to give presently but I think I know of someplace that might." Akira's eyes grew wide in astonishment. "Don't you dare do what I think you're about to do!" she sounded like a mother telling her child to not touch an item right as they were about to grab it. Faylin raised an eyebrow to the girl "hush child I'm negotiating." He replied back "I'm NOT a child and I don't appreciate you making decisions as huge as this without me, I don't trust these people and now you want them to join us just because some random guy who kicked our asses told you to?" _She has a point_ Salem thought to himself. How did they know these two heartless weren't going to eat their hearts the moment they turned their backs? Really that reality made more sense to the blonde than anything the mysterious man had spoken of. "You trust me don't you?" Faylin replied to the young Akira. Her face twisted in confusion from the unexpected response but then turned wary. "Mostly" she answered. Faylin chuckled, "then that should be all that you need. I won't let anything bad happen to you I promise." The girl rolled her eyes and then walked to the gate to lean her back against it in defeat. Both the warriors of light eyed curiously at the scene of the two. How it was that something that acted so evil before was so human right in front of them.

"There is a secret room at the base of this mansion we have recently discovered." Faylin continued from before. "I don't know if it will have anything about the Unbirths but if you would like to check it out with us together I see no harm in it." "How do we know you won't eat us while we are down there?" Salem responded, the same amount of distrust the girl had had was harbored in his chest as well. "We will just have to have faith." Gail responded to her companion. The two eldest eyed each other warily, each one had a friend that they wanted to protect. And each sent a message with their eyes warning the other what would happen if their teammate were to be hurt. They both nodded to one another as if the agreement had been made, "Alright then follow me." Faylin said as he led the way into the broken down mansion up ahead.

The four of them walked down the concrete stairs to the secret room that was supposed to aid them all in their quest. The air was tense as they rounded the corner and walked through the open frame. All of the walls were made of metal and seemed to have electricity surging on the other side of it. Salem eyed the curious room wondrously, it almost looked like one of those laboratories you see on horror films, and somewhere around here there would be a cyborg, or an alien in a pod. However, instead was a huge computer with that lit up the whole room. "Woah this thing is huge!" Salem said in wonder "Yeah no kidding" Akira agreed with the same amount of awe in her face. "Let's see here." Faylin said as he was the first to sit down and beginning to examine the contents of the computer. "Do you even know how to work it?" Gail asked raising her eyebrow. "Well it seems the hard part has already been done for me." And sure enough there was already a file open on the computer just as he turned it on. Akira glanced at the screen and immediately turned towards the end of the room. There was something on her face that told him that something was up but Salem was too fascinated by what was on the computer to pay it anymore mind. The screen was titled HEARTLESS and there was the insignia they had all had craved in their brains that heartless always seemed to have on them. On the page were a long list of names that seemed to stretch forever. Many were crossed out, as if perhaps that person was either no longer a candidate for whatever this person was doing or just simply, didn't exist anymore. And then there were names that were highlighted. As Faylin scrolled down to look at all of the names, they found that his and Akira's name was one of the few highlighted.

"Well this doesn't help at all with the Unbirths problem." Gail said as she folded her arms over her chest in frustration. "Maybe it does" was all Faylin said as he clicked on his name to further investigate. It soon opened up to a page with all of his background information. Who he was, were all he had been, how he changed, what he'd done. It was all there in black and white. Rage and confusion took over the normally level headed man's mind as new questions and emotions sparked within him. Someone had been watching him, watching all of these people whom he could only assume were fellow heartless. But why? What could the purpose be for this type of information? However his train of thought was cut off by a scream. A familiar scream. "Akira!" Faylin shouted as he jumped out of the chair and searched everywhere for the young girl. The room suddenly grew completely dark and the three huddled around one another and faced outward so that they wouldn't be caught off guard. "So you found our little get away huh, you're so smart, but I'm afraid your little field trip has come to a close." A mysterious voice creaked from the heart of the darkness but it was impossible to locate a direct source. Then out of nowhere a hand came out and snatched Salem from the group and drug him into the darkness. "NO!" Gail shouted as she ran after the young boy in a desperate attempt to save him. "Wait no we can't split u…" Faylin was interrupted as something smacked him in the back of the head and knocked the poor man clean out.

* * *

**GEM: Omg, dividing this story into appropriate sections is so tedious.  
I hope it's worth it. c:**


	15. Bargains of the damaged soul

**Akira - Bargains of the damaged soul**

* * *

A strong pounding in her head suddenly woke her up and she strained to open her eyes. Her vision blurred in and out of focus as she tried to see the person that sat in front of her. The person had blonde hair that shown to the candle lights gleam, their skin a pale white that seemed so familiar and soft. Their eyes, a beautiful cerulean blue that captivated her attention. It was then that the realization of who it was that stood before her hit her like a giant wave and she tried her best to lash out at the man. However her hands and feet where chained to the wall, she hissed and snarled as she struggled to rip the face off of the one who cause her the most pain. Akira's lover and the one that left her to die, Warren Black.  
"Woah cool it Kira it's just me. You remember me right?" The question almost amused her as she sneered and snarled. "I could never forget you! You're face haunts my nightmares every night. You're the reason for all of this madness! You're the reason I'm a monster! YOU KILLED ME!" She screeched. Unimaginable pain on her face and in her voice as she used all of her might to try to break the chains, but these were no mere ordinary chains. There had to be some type of magic seal or something keeping her from breaking them. The boy shook his head and sighed. Sadness radiating from his blue eyes. "I didn't kill you baby, the heartless did. Leain wanted to go back but there was nothing we could do for you…I never stopped missing you." His hand reached out to touch her soft skin, his body almost begging to touch her. But she wouldn't allow it and she cringed at his approach. Obvious hurt displayed on his face and it was soon replaced with anger. "I looked everywhere for you Kira! You have to believe me, I did everything I could to find you again. Even now I'm risking a lot talking to you. You're all I've been thinking about baby….I had to go through a lot to convince my superiors to allow me to do this, but I think they really like you. Which is good because they only allow so many to be one of us." Akira let her temper simmer a bit "Us?" she asked, hatred still searing through her entire being. "I'm an Unbirth now baby, and a pretty powerful one too I might add." He smiled seeking her to be impressed but her expression never faltered. "I'm leader of this squadron and my superiors have high hopes for you. They want you to gather information on the three others of their strengths and weaknesses. If you do what they ask then we can get you your heart back baby. You can be one of us; we can finally be together again." There was such hope in the blonde's voice as he tried desperately to convince his lost lover to join his cause.

The two sat in complete silence for what felt like an eternity. Akira looked at the boy and so many memories flooded into her. Good ones, ones filled with love and magic. Moments that she once spent with Warren, the love of her life. Moments that were now lost in time. Perhaps there was a time she wanted this type of future with the man. Perhaps there were still parts in her now that craved such affections from the boy. His hand floated towards her once more as his eyes pleaded with her jade ones "Please Akira…I can't do this without you." He said as his hand came close to caress her delicate cheek. However, the act was interrupted by Akira sinking her white fanged teeth into the man's approaching hand. "GOD DAMN IT!" Warren shouted as he tore his hand free from her mouth and red blood spurted out and rained down on the concrete ground. She licked her lips as she watched the once affectionate boy's face turn cold and harden. "It seems you need a bit more persuasion. I didn't want to have to do this but you leave me no choice." He snapped his fingers and at the corner of the room another boy appeared. She recognized him instantly "LEAIN!" She screamed as she tried her best to yet again break free to be by her brother's side. But her efforts were futile; the chains weren't going to budge an inch. A single tear rolled down her pale face as she saw her once strong older brother now sit lifeless in the corner of the room, not even reacting to her presence. "What have you done to him?" she snarled at Warren. The blonde only chuckled maliciously at the young girls reaction "Absolutely nothing, we found him in the cross space all alone just floating there. It would seem he has lost his heart and is nothing but an empty shell from the Leain we once knew." More tears flowed for her lost brother as she gazed at the motionless body before her. "please…" she whimpered "How can I help him." She begged Warren, her face growing raw from the intense grieving she was producing. "You? Absolutely nothing, however if you help us we can help you get his and your heart back….if you still refuse….well let's just say his heart won't be the only thing gone." The girl's eyes grew wild as she imagined Warren and his goons tearing Leains body limb from limb. Such a scene was unimaginable and her body clasped with defeat.

"….fine….I'll do it." She whispered. Her body now just about as lifeless as her brother's. "I knew you would see things my way babe." The blonde said with a smile and bent down to kiss her on the forehead. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" She snarled back, to be interrupted by the door being broke down. In the exact moment it hit the floor Warren was gone, and so was Leain. Akira once again collapsed to the ground, her body worn out all of the sudden as she blacked out yet again.


	16. Reunited

**Faylin, Gail, Salem, Akira - Reunited**

* * *

Faylin's eyes struggled to open in a groggy haze; there was a numb ache that thrummed with steady rhythm as the base of his head. His thoughts were suspended in what seemed to be the essence of thin air. It was a peaceful state that his mind rested in-one not tiring and weary, but one that was humble with content accord. He would have happily stayed in this smooth flight if not for one memory that shook him out of his reverie: Akira's screams. They'd sounded terrified... He'd only seen a brief flash of what had happened before everything had gone dark: Akira hadn't been within his range of sight, and the young master of light had been dragged off out of his reach. There wasn't the satisfaction of assurance when it came to the magician, however, because he'd gone dark before her screams could rock through him. A jolt ran through his back and he grunted. Why had there been something so familiar about the magician? Memories danced through his mind, but they were all so vague that he could envision nothing but a blur. Another jolt of pain surged though his back, to his temples. Her white flowing hair and glistening blue eyes...Her facial structure...Her very being, it was almost...No, it couldn't be, that was his imagination playing tricks on him. She couldn't. It wasn't possible. But then again, he'd seen more than possible in these long years of his short lived life.

"Faylin!" His eyes flashed open to a light gray mist. His body was suspended in thin air and he was bobbing up and down in correspondence with it. There were wires stabbed into his arms and legs, and his goopy black blood was seeping through a thin wire into a large vial attached to the side. Circuitry ran through the walls that surrounded him in tiny blue and white flashes that beeped faintly. "W-what?" he stuttered, with no response. _Faylin! _Again, his name was called, but this time it echoed within his head. Akira's voice was resounding as his name repeated itself over and over again. A sense of foreboding was creeping along his skin as he tried to budge his arms free. Though there was no acting force upon his body, asides from this strange mist, there was something that paralyzed him in place. "Akira!" he yelled, twisting his body, trying to get free. "Akira, hold on! I'm coming!" he was scared. Not only had she been his first friend in many years, but she'd been his savior. Akira had provided him with a sense of sanity only gained through the act of talking and communication, and she had shown him compassion. He couldn't let any harm come to her..Not when he owed her so much. She'd stayed with him even after he'd mistreated her; though she had been an annoying pain in the ass and a big burden at some points in time, she was very admirable in many ways. He cherished her company, and enjoyed her thoughts-he'd never admit it to her face though, for his ego and pride. Akira was becoming someone special to him, and he was not willing to let her go like he'd let all the others go. He just couldn't. It would break him entirely to be alone again. _Faylin Faylin Faylin_. _Gods, I've got to get out of here.  
_  
Faylin closed his eyes in full concentration, panting with the power that was building up. _Let. Me. Out!_ His mind screamed at the restrictions that were put in place upon him. He struggled and fought against the barriers but nothing would work. It would seem that he was stuck, helpless to the one person he's come to care about, and the others who were innocent to the situation that was transpiring because of his foolish actions at revealing such a thing... The machine protested against his willpower, blocking the majority of his strength... _Wait a minute_...He thought, concentrating on shifting into his heartless form. As he thought, the capsule would reject his darkness and cracked, splitting with a hiss of air. Without waiting for it to open entirely, his hands shifted into claws, and he tore the doors from their hinges, tossing them aside. He jumped out and started for any random direction, but stopped, seeing the keyblade wielder and the magician, floating in lifeless state just as he had been. Why weren't they escaping? It wasn't as if it was a hard task. Just a little determination… He turned to leave, but was hit with a twinge of guilt. "Goddamnit," he sighed, reaching out for the containers that held his new aquaintenceses. He pulled apart the blond Childs container, grabbing him as he fell into his arms and laying him steadily on the ground, and then went for the magicians. He was more careful with her, because she was a fragile looking creature.. When he removed the doors, she collapsed into his arms, and it him like a shock, knocking him off his feet.

_She was who he'd been thinking of, or at least a part of whom. They'd played together, running through the fields, chasing after each other in a casual game of tag or hide and go seek. He'd always won, of course, but it brightened her day when he ruffled her hair and paid her attention over his friends. She'd been a special part of his life, but she'd just...vanished one day, right before...He was turned. It had been a single day before the attacks had begun; they were sitting up under their favorite peach tree, eating happily at the first fruits of the season. "Brother," a tiny young girl with curly white hair said, looking down at an older boy with similar features. "Do you suppose life will always be like this?" she giggled, smiling. "Eating away at yummy fruits and playing together?" the boy looked up at her, a half grin on his face. "I dunno kiddo, but I sure do hope so." He messed up her hair in lovingly affection, jogging away after doing such. "Hey!" she called, squeezing her eyes shut in frustration. "I'll kick your butt for that mister," she squealed. He laughed, "If you can midget." He took off in a dash, and she was right behind him. "You stupid jerk" she yelled, laughing as she ran. She had her fist up in the air, shaking it in mock threat, as he ran and left her behind. He hadn't been paying much attention to her, because he knew that wherever he went she would follow. Skidding to a stop, letting her catch up, he waited. To his mute irritation, she never caught up with him. "Oh baby sister!" he yelled, voice full of anticipation. "You can't trick me! I know where you are and I'll get you! Come out come out wherever you areee!" retracing his steps, he jogged back up the path, looking for her, worry starting to show on his face. "Gail?" His eyes wandered from left to right, searching. "Gail! Come now, this isn't funny!" A scream. "Gail? Gail!" he ran, blocking the tears from his eyes. Strength was something he needed right now..For her, to protect her. He couldn't deal with the punishment his mother would wreak upon his behind if his sister got hurt. "Stop joking around!" _

_Coming over a hill, he found that she was not joking around. She was laying on the ground, covered by tiny dark creatures. "Get off her!" he ran kicking at them, trying to push them off of her. She whimpered as they attacked her. "Faylin.. Please don't let them hurt me anymore.." He grabbed her arms and dragged her towards him. "Get up! Come on, we've got to go," wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her away. She screamed. A little black monster was gnawing at her legs, holding firm with razor sharp little teeth. More monsters appeared in front of him, running for him. "Faylin!" the girl screamed, right as he screamed her name. The monsters tore them apart, ripping at their flesh..And then she was gone, lost from his sight. He didn't know whether she was dead or alive, hurt or injured. All he knew was that she was gone. The monsters were hurting him, running after him. He had to get home..Maybe she made it back there! Maybe she'd be okay… But there was this feeling that hurt his chest, letting him know that he was wrong._

Gail and Faylin both sucked in deep gulps of air, scrambling apart from each other. "You!" she said at the same time. Gail's hand outstretched towards him, a longing ache terrorizing her eyes. "Brother?" she whispered. "It's..Not..You were gone..You never came back to the house." He flinched away from her, and you could tell there was hurt spreading through him. "All this time! I've been so alone!" he yelled. "I looked everywhere for you!" he scooted closer to her, and touched her face. "So, holy hell." She said, mouth agape. "You're my brother. And I'm your sister. And..And..We're together again." She dove in for a hug. His arms didn't go around her at first, but they slowly formed an embrace that engulfed her. "Oh God." He sighed into her hair. "I've missed you."

There was an awkward cough from the background, and Faylin released her. The blond boy was staring at them like they were insane, holding his keyblade level with Faylin's head. "Get off her. Now. I don't care if there's some history between you two, I'll not let you near her to harm her." Gail raised an eyebrow, shook her head in disregard. "Let's not reminisce about this right now. We've got someone to find." Faylin, looking utterly horrified that it'd slipped his mind, grabbed Gail's hand, and raised his nose. With a sniff to the air, he identified Akira's location, and he was tugging Gail along the path with him, further into the basement of the mansion, or wherever it was that they were. "You can let go," she said, laughing with caution. "No," he simply said. "I've lost you once and another important person to me within a matter of hours. I'm not letting you out of my sight. Ever." Gail rolled her eyes. It was a sweet thought, but she wondered if he realized that she'd been on her own for years now, and that she was capable of taking care of herself.

Faylin dashed with Gail through corridors decorated by the faint luminescent glow of blue and white pulsating lights. "We're almost there—"Faylin whispered, putting a finger to his lips to silence Salem's protests of going further. There were voices coming from beyond a door, Akira's and one unknown. Faylin lifted his fingers, counting. One. Two. "Three!" Gail yelled, whipping her leg down in an archaic arch of flame, blowing the door right out of their way, skidding it across the room beyond to a place hidden by darkness. "Well, that was uncalled for," Salem grumbled as he dashed inside with the other two.

Faylin, spotting Akira, ran over to her, and instantly went to work with her chains. He was using his heartless strength as he ripped the links apart. "Oh, Please please please be okay." He pleaded with her. She wasn't moving much, but you could tell there was a faint breath of air going into her lungs as she barely breathed. Gail waved her hands with a magician's skill, and the chains fell apart into a light dust that was swept away. Akira's tiny frame fell completely onto the floor, and Faylin scooped her up into his arms. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and patted her cheek. "Come on, wake up you little fury." He slapped her a bit too hard and her fist came up and connected with his jaw. "That hurts dickhead." She hissed through her teeth. "Atta girl," he said, smiling. He picked her up and held her close to his chest. His body gave no warmth for comfort, but he hoped she felt safe in his arms. "What happened in here?" he questioned, staring down at her with a care he'd not expressed to her yet. "N-nothing.." she lied with ease. "I woke up and there were these..Men…watching me..They tried to hurt me, but before they could, you got here..And insisted upon this stupid idea of picking me up and carrying me. What am I? 5?" She hopped out of his arms and flashed him a brilliant grin full of perfect teeth. "Heh, I guess not." At this moment, he finally saw her as his equal. Yeah, she'd done a lot for him, but there was more to her than that. A deeper level of mystery and magnificence that he would just love to figure out. She was younger and less experienced, but she would become, with time, a real envisionment of the phrase "With beauty comes power." Shaking his head, Faylin smiled back, almost lighthearted with the turn of events. "Hey dumbass," Akira said, her face shifting to a confused glare. "Stop smiling, your face is gonna stick like that. And it's just creepy seeing a hardass like you smile like..Oh I don't even know. Just quit it and get us out of here." Akira's voice was full of some emotion that was hard to depict understanding to. It was a tense mixture of pain, misery, joy, relief, and anger. "You okay punk?" "Yeah!" she snapped. "Sorry I was the only one of you losers who got chained up and tormented by freak shows." Faylin snapped up his hands in defense and opened a portal. "Next stop, the hell out of here," he said, waving Gail and Salem in. Gail looked at him, shrugged, and hopped through. Salem, however, was not so eager to jump into a hole of darkness. "Nope nope nope, screw that. I'll walk." He shook his head vigorously, and crossed his arms in protest. "Oh come on," Akira said, grabbing him by the waste and picking him up. "Woah! You're strong" he said as she threw him into it. She ran into it, briefly looking back at Faylin. "Trash this place?" "You got it." He closed the portal and walked back to the entrance of the basement. "No one should find this place...Ever again." He waved his hand and darkness fell upon the entrance, sealing it. Walking to the walls, he pressed his hands into the very structure and pulled out of it dark orbs that spread like a disease all around, covering every surface. Heartless of all shapes and sizes poured out of the orbs and began to devour everything within sight. He came to the computer slowly, clicking away at the files and skimming through what he needed. "That'll do," Faylin said, pulling a flash drive out of the computer and storing it away in his pants pockets_. No one needs to see these documents...Not even Akira._ He walked back to the portal and emerged on the ledge of the train station clock tower. He could see the others gathered below him, and with one last glance at the fading sun, he jumped off the building and landed with ease in front of them.


	17. Unresolved farewells

**Akira and Salem - Unresolved farewells**

* * *

"They sure did get close all of a sudden." Akira said as she leaned over towards Salem with one eyebrow raised. The two sat on the train station steps as Gail and Faylin were talking cheerfully to one another at the other end of street. "Oh yeah that's right you weren't there," Salem began. "Turns out those two are like brother and sister who were separated at a young age." Akira eyed him in disbelief as her jaw dropped at his statement. "Hey don't ask me I'm as clueless as you are at this point." The blonde said as he raised his hands in the air. The two watched the siblings talk and carry on. So much bliss and relief in their expressions and gesture. It was something Salem had never really seen from either party member. Akira seemed to be thinking the same thing as her confused expression melted into a thoughtful glance. "He seems so happy." She whispered, more to herself than anyone else. The blonde eyed her in disbelief "How do you do that?" he asked shaking his head. "Do what?" she replied, eyes wide with confusion of her own. "It seems like just a few seconds ago you were a crazy psycho heartless who wanted to eat my heart. Now you look like just a regular girl off of the street. I can't tell if you're good or your just pulling my leg" he let out a small chuckle but there was some seriousness to his statement. Akira busted out laughing, which was followed by a laugh by the young keyblader. A sound that startled the two siblings from their conversation, but they only smiled at the distraction and continued to catch up on one another. Akira whipped a tear from her eye as her laughter began to die down "I don't know, sometimes you just get tired of playing the monster ya know? I mean I was once human too with a heart and feelings, just because I've lost my heart doesn't mean I've lost my humanity. Or so I've learned from being around you guys. There was once a time before I even met Faylin that I was more animal than anything else. But ever since I've met him things have been getting better and better." A warm smile grew on her face, and as she thought more of Faylin and their time together her smile grew wider. The blonde nodded and spread a goofy grin of his own "Wow I never would have thought of it like that. And that's so great that you and Faylin are so close and stuff. He seems to like you a lot." The girl's face went from ivory to a deep pink. "Wait what? That's ridiculous we are just partners." She said as she turned her head in the opposite direction of Salem's to avoid him ridiculing her blushing cheeks. "No seriously!" the boy protested, now being very serious. "I know about these sorta things. And when you went missing he was so worried about you. He practically dragged us around in that basement to find you."

There was a different atmosphere that formed from Akira as he spoke. Her once fun and kind nature went very still and serious as she looked back at Faylin and Gail. Her brow furrowed as she thought deeply. "He's always been there protecting me and saving me from danger…but I'm only putting him in harm's way…" "Yeah I know how that feels." Salem commented. "It seems like the moment me and Gail got partnered I've given her more trouble than anything else." He said as he put his head in his hand. Obviously depressed at the thought of how much he had let her down. "we should leave then." She said coolly. The blonde sat up, eyes wide with surprise. "DO WHAT?" He shouted but in a hushed tone so that the merry siblings wouldn't suspect such a conversation was taking place. Akira swiftly swiveled on the concrete and leaned forward to Salem. "Don't you see? We are only burdening them, and look how happy they are right now. They finally found their long lost family, that in itself is something precious and sacred. We don't need to get in the way anymore. Say we get the four of us in trouble again and something bad happens and they lose each other again?" Salem's normally vibrant blue green eyes turned dull as she spoke. He knew in the pit of his stomach she was right. He would do anything to keep Gail safe. And that safety was not with him what so ever. She was better off being with her older brother who obviously was more suited to watch after her.

The two sat quietly as the air grew tense underneath the situation at hand. The sun dipped further down over the horizon. Oh how Salem was going to miss this town, he'd only just returned to have to abandon it again. He stood up confidently "Follow me." He said as they walked back up the stairs and into the train station. It would be too obvious for them to take off right here and now. They need to get to higher ground. And what better place than the clock tower right about the train station that sat beside.

They finally reached the peak and as the blonde looked down he could see that the two bellow were searching for them "Hurry they are gonna figure out what we are doing." He said as he pressed the button on his pants that activated his armor and his keyblade scooter. "Hop on!" he shouted to the girl and Akira responded swiftly by hoping on the back and the keyblade began to lift off of the ground. However their getaway wouldn't be that simple, just as Salem was about to shoot off Faylin jumped from the ground level all the way where they were and was reaching out to grab Akira by the arm. His expression was covered in confusion and pain as he watched Akira zoom off behind Salem into the starry sky up above.

The two soared in the cross space, Akira holding on desperately around Salem's waist, and the blonde navigating them through the cold dark air. It was the first time either one of them had flown in such a magical dimension as the one that lay in between the worlds and the two young warriors stared in awe at the bright stars that seemed so close now. Salem smiled as he tried to make this new memory replace the recently painful ones of leaving their beloved comrades but somehow he stayed determined that In the long run. Their abandonment would be for the good of everyone. However Salem's new partner wasn't taking the separation as easily as even she had intended. Her eyes watered behind cringed eyelids as her mind replayed his face. That beautiful god like face that shown with desperation and fear…for her. Out of all the fights and battles they had been in, she had never seen him so distraught…so hurt. It was the most painful thing she had ever had to do since becoming a heartless. "I'm so sorry." She whispered into the boys back. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but it's not safe to be around me anymore." "Did you say something?" Salem turned back to check on her. "No I'm fine, just keep driving before you hit something!" she snapped back, but the boy luckily didn't react to her harshness. _If there is anyone in this world who needs to hurt it's me and only me._ She thought as she tried desperately to wipe the tears off with her arm. _I've betrayed them all. I've become exactly what I've despised. I agreed to a deal that will put them all in jeopardy. Even with knowing that I still have Salem with me regardless of the danger and for what? I'm sacrificing his safety for my fear of being alone. I'm disgusting…_

Her self-loathing was interrupted by a light. It looked like a white comet was heading straight for the two. "Umm you might want to hurry Mr. Keyblader. We've got company!" The blonde turned his head just barely and was able to notice quickly the threat that was arriving at breath taking speeds and kicked his keyblade into overdrive to try to escape the impact. But Akira knew that would be futile. This was no ordinary comet, hell it wasn't a comet at all. She could sense Faylin on that thing, which she could only assume was a spell of Gail's. He was tracking her, like he always had. A twinge of happiness surged through her being at the thought of Faylin running after her, but she knew she couldn't allow this to happen. She had to protect him, protect him from the Unbirths, from Warren.

With how bright this spell was she could honestly doubt they could actually see Salem and herself. The only eyes they had were Faylin's ability to track her own aura as she was sensing his. "I have to lead them off course or else they are going to catch up in no time." She said to herself as Gail's spell sped up even more to catch up with Salem's keyblade. But how was she going to manage that? Faylin wasn't as easily dooped as her blonde counterpart tended to be. It was then that the answer hit her. Just like she did before at the mansion during her training with Faylin she sent her darkness in front of her and morphed it into a black doll of herself. There was enough of her own darkness in there that it would surely help lead them off course. She smirked at her own genius and prepared to send off her bait. Better yet an even better plan immerged in her skull. With as much power as she could muster she made as many Akira dolls as she could before their two pursuers got any closer to them. With one giant push of her dark power she sent the dolls flying in all different directions heading for all sorts of nearby worlds they were passing. Faylin and Gail stopped to a screeching halt as Akira could only assume was do to Faylin's own confusion at the change of events. "Come on Faye, take the bait." She said allowed as she watched the star like craft float away in the distance and Salem continued to drive away in alarming speeds.

She could no longer feel him anymore, which sent a sad chill through her soul cause that meant she would truly never see him again. However, the less selfish side of her was glad that he had followed one of the fakes. "Your safe now, that's all that matters." She whispered as she closed her eyes to see a happy Faylin from the future that was alive, was with family, and would be better off without her. Now it was time to find Warren and his goons to help save a lost brother before it was too late.

* * *

** GEM: And here's the end of the second part of this story.**

**Off to the third!**


	18. Terrible Twos

**Faylin and Gail - Terrible twos**

* * *

Faylin charged out of the train station doors, his eyes searching for her. Gail was hot on his trail and she skidded to a stop and pointed up. "There!" she yelled, grabbing Faylin's arm, casting a strength spell and throwing him upwards. Faylin closed his legs and put his arms close to his body to avoid air resistance and shot like an arrow up to the ledge. He grabbed it with his outstretched hand and lunged up on one knee. "Akira!" he screamed, throwing himself at the two. "Don't go," he whispered as she flew out of his reach, but the words were muffled by the sound of the scooter zipping away. "Faylin!" Gail screamed as he let himself fall to the ground. Gail's flesh ripped apart and stretched, and a dragon shot up in the air, catching Faylin in its arms, and roaring out a spell in the process. _Track Akira, I'll follow_. Faylin heard in his head. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her spirit. Ah, there it was. Gail, picking up on his thoughts, lit up and whipped through the air, a fiery beast hot on the scooters trail. There was a loud crack as they broke through the world's atmosphere, and the Dragon placed upon Faylin a protection cast so that he wouldn't be crushed by the airless weight of the stars. Seeing the scooter just a little ahead, Gail pushed herself forward with lightning fast speed. _Faylin, get them back._ He reached out just barely touching Akira's pale skin. "Come back to me," he pleaded with her, pain etched all across his features. She shook her head, and did what Faylin should have expected her to do. After all, he had been teaching her the very thing only days before; Akira created dolls that had within them the imprint of her soul, that would ultimately throw them off and slow them down. The dolls fell away from her and fell down towards nearby stars, sucked in by their gravitational pull. "Goddamnit Akira!" He yelled as Gail came crashing to a stop. "You have to keep going! I can find them! I can.." No, it was a fact that he couldn't…Not as long as she was focused on him not finding her.

Gail shifted back into her human form, concentrating on the spell that kept them alive and suspended in space. "We'll find them," she said, offering a hand of comfort to which he pushed away. "No we won't..There were dozens of those dolls and it'll take months to investigate all of the worlds where they fell.. And by then, they'll be long gone, far out of our reach."His eyes stung. Gods, why did it hurt? He hadn't known her for long, but he felt an assure connection to her, and he didn't want her to be gone. He wanted her where he could protect her and keep her close. She wouldn't make it with that novice keyblader, he'd get her killed for sure on one of his fruitless ventures. "Well," Gail's voice now harsh and twisted. "We've got to try right? I mean.." a pause. "We've both got something of great weight with those two." Faylin looked at her and put a hand to her face. "You always were the sensible one. Okay. Let's start with the closest world." She grinned at him, and with an intake of air, they were shooting towards their destination hidden within the stars.

They held each other's hand, not because they needed to, but because it brought to each other comfort. It had been 13 years since they had had the chance to be in each other's company, and every moment from that they'd be able to share now was precious to them both. "Gail," Faylin started, a thoughtful look on his face s they flew past stars. "Hmm?" "Tell me about your life…What happened?" Hesitant to answer at first, she looked down at him, her mouth open slightly. "It's okay if you don't want to-" "No, I will." She smiled a sad smile and looked back away from him. Beginning with the day he ran too fast for her, she began her story.

_Gail was back in her tiny body, and Faylin was back in his. They were running away from the monsters, but no matter how fast they tried to get away, they were always on top of them. She'd been bitten and dragged to her feet, sucked into a vortex of monsters screaming for her brother to save her. She tried reaching out her hand, but there wasn't any getting past the wall of monsters. There was a faint call for her, but as she lost consciousness, it dimmed into silence. It seemed that nothing was going to be able to save her from what was happening, and finally, she was floating in a dark space. "Faylin?" her eyes, trying to adjust, blinked. "Faylin! Faylin!" it was horrible darkness, no life, no reflection, no sound, no movement..Not even an echo of her screams. "Brother!" tears spilled from her eyes. "Where am I?" Gail curled into a ball, feeling alone and utterly defeated. She sobbed into her knees, not knowing what to do. That's how Gail stayed for what seemed like an eternity. Over time, there was a drumming sound that erupted in her dark void. A constant rhythm of thump thump thump. It grew louder and nearer, scaring the small child. She covered her ears and prayed that it would go away, but go away it would not. A white fire soon came with the sound, and it wrapped around her, engulfing her in a warm embrace. _Child,_ it spoke to her. _There's so much light within your lost heart, so much purity. What a waste it would be to allow it to vanish in the depths of this darkness…_ Gail listened with curious intent. _I can save you,_ it whispered in her ears. "Oh yes! Please!" she cried. "I'd give anything to see mommy and big brother again." Anything? It asked with a light chuckle. "Anything!" The light curled away from her, and within its flame, a spirit took on the shape of a dragon. _You shall be gifted with a power known and given only to few, but you must use it and it's purity for the better of things once good._ Her eyes were filled with fear, hesitant and now scared about the consequences of saying what she had. _You've given yourself to me now, and so I'll be yours. _The flame shot forward into her chest, and ran through her veins with the intensity of a raging fire. Her limbs no longer in her control, twisted and morphed into an unfamiliar shape. It hurt at first, but it grew to be normal after a few moments. She was a tiny crystalline dragon with blue and white scales that gleamed extravagantly in contrast with the darkness that surrounded her. _Now be free!_ The voice rang out. _

_The child broke out of the darkness and landed on solid ground at the point of her disappearance, and choked in the fresh air. Her body ached all over; there was feverish warmth that left her feeling clammy and ill. Struggling to stand up, she ran towards her home, falling to her knees as she came over the hill. Her heart broke and a defeated cry escaped her lips: her house was blackened with ash and destruction. The doors hung broken from their hinges, the windows were broken, the roof was falling in, and the walls were torn apart. She slid down the hill, tripping over her feet as she broke through the doorway into the remains of her family room. "Mom! Faylin!" she called, throwing aside furniture and debris. "Answer me please?" she was struck in the back of the head by a falling beam, knocking her out cold. She'd been awakened later in a white room, no one around her. As the memories rushed back to her, she screamed and jumped out of the bed, running towards the door, only to be blocked by a big man. "Woah, wait a second kiddo. You're hurt pretty bad. You're not going anywhere." He could see the panic in her eyes, and he rubbed the back of his head, hesitant. _"Oh..It's gone kid..I'm sorry. You were the last one we found."

They broke through the atmosphere and fell towards the ground, landing bumpily in a thorn bush. "Oh, shit. Sorry!" Gail called, wiping away a tiny stream of tears, blowing away the bush, lifting them up and onto their feet in front of it. Pulling out the thorns that riddled his back, Faylin pulled Gail in for a hug. "It's okay sis. I've got you now. I'm not going anywhere. You will never ever be alone like that again." She sunk against him, and let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, okay." She pushed away from him and cast a healing spell on their thorn pricks, drying up the tiny trickles of blood that spilt from their backs. "Okay, work your magic big man." He grimaced, closed his eyes, and focused in on Akira's spirit. "This way."

They stepped out into a court meeting, and all eyes were on them in a second. "Cards! Seize the disturbers!" the Queen/Judge bellowed. They were instantly bound and tossed in front of the red lady. "How dare you presume that you can just walk in on one of MY royal meeting unpunished. What are your names? Answer me!" "Oh never bother that," a white lady said, stooping between Gail and Faylin. "These two aren't of this world." She smiled up at the red lady. "They're visitors, and as is accustomed of our great kingdom, we must welcome them with splendor!" Their bindings turned into white rose petals and fell away from their wrists. She stood and offered them each one of her long slender white hands, pulling them to their feet. "Come now darlings," The red lady fumed, muttering under her breath about executions, and the white lady tugged lightly at their hands, before elegantly walking away down the garden path. "Tea and pastries! We must have these delights for our guests," she called, stroking the red roses that lined the path. "What an awful color, I do wish my sister the red queen wouldn't have painted them.." looking absently to see if Gail and Faylin were following, she continued, "They're really dead underneath..I'm afraid very much like my sister."

The siblings looked at each other, confused as to what the white lady meant, Gail braving a question. "Your sister..The red queen? Right? She's dead?" "Ah, yes. Her heart is consumed by darkness, I'm afraid, and it will soon devour her whole…" A sadness creeped its way into her wispy voice. "That's what today's meeting was called for, to discuss the conditions of the kingdom should she fall. 'Should,' being that she is disbelieving of such occurrences, but necessary nonetheless." Clapping her hands, a table appeared with chairs that were too tall. A lace cloth fell from the sky and landed on it, and a tea set danced through the air till it landed on the table, hopping around and pouring everyone tea. Sugar and milk swirled in the air, waiting on the three to choose what they'd like in it. Gail struggled to get in a chair, and Faylin had to give her a boost. "Thanks." She said bitterly, scooting around till she was comfortable. Faylin took the seat next to her, and the white lady, shrugging, seemed to float into hers. "Sugar? Milk?" she offered. Gail nodded to both of them, and Faylin just ignored it. The milk and sugar swirled around Gail's body and dived right into her tea, causing it to fountain up in the air a little bit. "Nothing for you ah—" "Faylin." "Faylin?" "No thanks, I'm not much of a…Tea person." She smiled a sweet but creepy smile, "I understand." Waving her hands in response to a silent performance, tiny cakes piled in front of them. "Dig in darlings! You must be starved from your long journey!"

Reaching to grab a cake, Faylin grabbed Gail's hand from under the table and held it down, shooting her a sidelong glance of wariness. Catching the drift, she quit. "We appreciate your hospitality, but there's a more important question that needs to be asked then..All of this." He said, motioning to the tea and the cakes. The white lady put a hand under her chin, thoughtfully tilting her head to the side, her black lips pursed. "Ah, but isn't there always? Go on then darlings." Faylin would never get used to the weird cheerful air this world had. It was making him sick to his stomach. "My..Our friend..She's gone..But I can feel her here in this world." "Go on." "Is there…" his heart ached. "Anyway that we could have free reign to look around your world for her and her companion?" The white lady pondered his request. "Lia! Loe!" her tiny voice called with command.

A hand picked up Faylin's untouched tea and raised it to thin air, the tea draining out of it in happy gulps. Faylin jumped back and fell out of his chair. A deep chuckle. Legs appeared, then a headless torso. A head rolled through the air and fell onto the torso's shoulders upside down. Arms attached to the hand, picked up the head, and flipped it right side up, setting it in its right place. "What the hell." Faylin said, pointing. "Loe! At your service of fair white lady." He bowed at her, but he was looking right at Faylin. He winked and blew him a kiss. Faylin cringed. Loe was joined by a female who was leaning on him. Just like him, she'd appeared out of thin air, but she was more subtle about it. "Lia, Miss." Their genders were hidden by their youth. They could pass for male or female, and it was strange to not be able to know. They were dressed in jester costumes, the big pants, shoes, hate and all. Loe had light grey eyes and white hair similar to Faylin's. It had a monocle over its right eye, and a piercing in its left nostril. Striped white shirt, and striped white pants with a black vest. A black and red checkered ribbon encompassed its waste along with black stockings and black boots clung to its legs, and in its hands was held a staff. Lia was dressed exactly the same, but in opposite colors. The only real differences was the hair and the height. Where Loe had white hair and was 5'7, Lia had black hair and was 5'3.

The white lady's face lit up with childish gleam, and she hopped down out of her seat. "These are our guests, and as my humble servants, you are instructed to accompany them until they find their misplaced friends." They halfway saluted the white lady. "Aye aye Miss!" Vanishing, Faylin was picked up off the ground, dusted off, and sat on his feet. "There you go darlings. They'll stay with you as long as you need them to." Faylin groaned. Gail, stepping in to show her hospitability in his place, said: "Why, thank you. It's very gracious of you. But might I ask what they can..actually do?" Bad idea.

The white lady started, "Well, Lia, she's one of my most agile..And Loe, well there's not much that doesn't describe him." The twins appeared in full force, back flipping body parts in correspondence with each other and landed, Loe doing a split, an Lia doing a hand stand on his shoulders. Loe brought his hand down behind him, and a backwards keyblade appeared. Lia balanced on one hand, stuck out a backwards keyblade as well. It wasn't a typical fighting form, Gail could tell, because most wielders' she'd heard about held it the other way. But one she'd read about, Ventus, had held it that way. "Two keyblades?!" Gail and Faylin said in unison. "Yep," they said together, mocking the two. "We're the best there is and ever will be!" Lia somersaulted off of Loe's shoulders, vanishing, only to reappear in front of Gail. "You're pretty. I like you already." Lia smiled a wicked smile full of delighted hunger.

Lia back flipped, landing beside her brother. _Gods,_ Gail thought. _They sure are all over the place.. I'm going to regret that they were ever given to us for help._ "This way!" the twins said. "Follow us, we'll show you the way!" they skipped away from the table. Gail bowed and thanked the white lady for her hospitality, and she and Faylin set off after the twins. The twins ran backwards in silent conversation, horribly creepy grins marking their faces the entire way. Once they'd taken them out of sight of the rose garden, they ventured into a forest of giant mushrooms. "Be careful not to eat anything," one of the twins heads said as it bobbed between Gail and Faylin. Gail screamed in response, and struck out at it, but it vanished to her touch. "Geez! Stop that!" Laughter. "As we were saying," Lia cut in, "Be careful to not eat anything. The food of this world will do strangely fascinating things to your body." Loe pulled out a cake from the tea table. "Like this cake. It would have turned you small and green. Fancy that. You'd make a fine pet." He was on Gail in a matter of moments, forcing her mouth open. She batted her hands at him, but every time she made contact with him, his body would vanish and reappear. "Stop that." Faylin said, pulling Gail into his arms. "Aw, but Loe would love a pet! Sister, Loe is being denied his pet." "I like that one; I plan on keeping her for myself. Back off pet." Loe pouted and Lia hit him on the back of his head. "You guys are kinda special aren't you?" Faylin asked, aggravation dripping from his tongue. "Oh yes." was their only response.

After walking in obvious circles for hours, the teams patience was drawing thin. "You're taking us nowhere!" "Where is Akira?!" Caught in the act, the twins turned on them, their mouths hung in an O shape, and shrugged their shoulders. Faylin drew his blade and held it level with their heads. "Take us where we need to go or stop wasting our time, keyblade wielders." They shrugged their shoulders, and with a pop, dark smoke erupted all around them. Gail coughed, "The fumes..They're..Toxic." She staggered. "No don't do that sis," Faylin formed a dark shield around them, blocking out the air. The ground began to shake, cracking with the force of it all. A paper thin hand crawled out of the crack, and then another. A heartless soared up above them, and then another, and another. They kept coming until there were 6 crimson pranksters gathered all around them. "Oh shit." Gail commented, drawing her short sword and readying her magic. Faylin was not so kind with his choice of words.

Back to back, Faylin held the dark shield, protecting them as the pranksters beat down on them with their torches and fire. "I'm ready when you are little sister." "What's the plan of attack?" their swords were held up in the air, positioned for attack. "Oh, you know? We're gonna get our asses kicked if we don't go full on." "Okay." "GO!" The shield fell, and the twos monsters were unleashed. Gail morphed into her dragon, and Faylin favored a dark serpent. Twisting and turning around the monsters, they attacked with fearsome might and destruction, slicing, biting, clawing. Faylin attached himself to a heartless like a leech and sucked from it the power of the living. Tentacles erupted from his form and wrapped themselves tight around the first heartless, knocking it unconscious. Gail, fighting its partner heartless, summoned for a meteor storm and sent them smashing into the opposing heartless, destroying the two of them with its singular defeat. The two monsters twisted their bodies together and slammed through another pair of heartless. The final pair, seeing defeat as eminent, did something they'd never witness before. It hopped on its pair, and..Devoured it whole. Gail and Faylin held back, watching the monstrosity that was forming. The new heartless was like the prankster, but it was darker: it's viciousness poured off of it in powerful waves, pushing the team back. It snatched them up and squeezed at them for dear life. The monster of light and dark reached out to each other, their claws barely touching.. This was going to be it—it's grasp was too tight for them to break free, and it was going to crush the very structures of their beings. With a light touch between the siblings, a power surged through the air and sliced the heartless in half. It's grasp was still firm on the too, but with it weakened they could now break it._ Go go go! _They screamed at each other. Joining their powers, they created a light, not of actual light, and a dark, not of actual dark—somewhere in between, that singed the heartless down to the core, causing it to disintegrate into a pile of ash. A giant heart soared up into the air, and Faylin was quick to grab it up. He devoured it hungrily. Once he was finished, he realized what he'd done; turning in horror, he saw his sister's dragon staring at him with disbelief in her eyes. They both morphed back into their humans and he went for her. "No, Gail. Don't. I have to.." "I know! Just don't do it in front of me!" "Okay." He said quietly. The twins reappeared just out of the siblings reach and laughed. "What a show!" Faylin lunged for them. "Bastards!" Bending out of his reach, they tripped him and he fell to the ground. Cursing, he lunged at them with renewed power and tackled Loe to the ground. "Ohoho." Loe giggled, putting a finger to his cheek, winking. "Ugh." Faylin said, jumping off of him. "What the hell was that for?!" "Oh, nothing. Just trying to see your worth. We will help you find your friends, but first you must give us something of sentimental value and also help us find something we need!"

"W-what?" Gail said, her eyebrows shooting up. "That was to test our worth?! You jerks!" Kicking out at Lia, she missed, and fell on her bottom. "Yes, we're afraid so. No hand something over and Loe will go find your friends for you." They started talking together: "We need you to find something for us in order to be reunited with your friends. Is it a deal?" "It's a deal." Faylin said, handing over a spare dagger that had his name engraved into its hilt. Gail, with reluctance, gave her Ultimentre Lukire charm necklace to them. "No more tricks. Nothing." "None at all." And with that, Loe's body twisted into a circle and popped out of sight. Loe popped into existence once more at the gates of Olympus Coliseum. A smirk on his face, he signed his name on the tournament participant sheet and waited for the victors to exit the current trial. "Now, let's see what trouble we can cause here."

* * *

**GEM: So you'll notice with time I have a horrible habit of killing myself with lots and lots of characters. **

**I just love writing as different people. **

**Sara: Faylin, Gail, Lia, and Loe.**

**Shelby: Akira, Salem.**


	19. Determination of the soul

**Salem - Determination of the soul**

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Salem tried to slam on breaks as his scooter hit the unknown atmosphere to fast. They were falling out of control straight down into a random world he shifted right into. At the time it seemed like a smart idea that way he could escape their pursuers and be safer on the world. However, the variable of his craft's speed never came into view and he regretted that as they plummeted down.

Salem swiftly turned around and held Akira as tightly as he could, unlike him she had no armor to protect herself with and he refused to let her be hurt under his watch. Akira apparently had the same concept in mind and with the last amount of darkness she possessed she used it to cover the two in a dark ball. The scooter taped the ground but was soon followed by an immediate skid into a brick wall. Salem and Akira however were unharmed thanks to the dark bubble they were in that absorbed most of the blow. Akira's eyes dazed over and the ball around them extinguished into nothing. He felt her body go limp in his arms as she began to go unconscious from all of the darkness she had to release in order to keep them safe. "Akira? AKIRA? CAN YOU HEAR ME?"Panic filled the boy's mannerisms as he tried to get her attention. She kept mumbling stuff but nothing he could actually understand.

"Hey do you guys need any help?" it was then that an extremely muscular man jogged up to them, he looked like some kind of gladiator without a helmet. And instead of having a blood thirsty glare he eyed the two with deep concern in his light blue eyes. "I'm not sure what's wrong with her but she won't wake up!" Salem said pleading in his voice for the unknown man to help them. "Oh gosh all right I'll go grab Phil!" the man said and scuffled back into the building with panic in his manner. The front door of the building was guarded by huge gladiator statues that hurt your neck if you dared to see the top of their heads. He then glanced at his scooter. It looked a bit banged, but nothing to bad compared to what it had gone through. He hit the button on his suit and the scooter vanished along with his armor.

Salem heard a door slam and he instantly turned his head towards the noise and in the process pulling Akira closer just in case the sound was due to an incoming threat. Threat or no threat the site was…odd. The panicked man from before was now being followed by a short, stubby, goat man. Salem's jaw dropped at the sight which was also copied by the goat man, but not for the same reasons "What happened to my wall" the little man cried in disappear as he remained totally oblivious to the young teenagers. "Umm Phil? These two need our help." "Not now I'm busy." He said as he picked up chipped rubble from his glorious concrete wall off of the ground. The man shook and sighed. "Here let me take her." He said as he left the dainty girl from the blonde's arms effortlessly. And began walking towards the same door him and the goat guy came from. "You'll have to excuse Phil, he's a good guy I swear, just has a one track mind is all." The blonde rolled his eyes but really he couldn't say much. His mind was solely on his comrade's health and nothing more. "The name is Hercules by the way, but you can call me Herc, everybody else does." He said with a friendly grin. "And this is the Coliseum where people from all over the place come to show their stuff and see what it takes to be a true hero." The word hero peeked his interest. The two walked through the huge gates where on the inside Hercules set out a cot for Akira to lay on. Salem glanced at her to find that her condition continued. Her face was furrowed with distress but no matter how much he nudged her or spoke to her she would not awake. "Don't worry; I'm sure she only needs some rest." Hercules said trying to comfort the trouble blonde. Salem met the man's concerned gaze and smiled back. A little way of showing how much he appreciated his help. However, he was soon easily distracted by the glinting of something shiny. There were trophies side by side on the wall, each one of beautiful decoration and design. Trophies of victors before him and this was their material proof of their worth, their strength. _This is exactly what I need_ Salem thought to himself as he inched himself closer to the display. _If I won this then everyone could see how strong I am and how much of a great keyblader I am_ a huge grin developed on his face as the thought of fame and glory replayed over and over in his head. "I want to sign up for the games!" the blonde boasted. "Like Hades you are!" the goat man, or rather Phil had returned with a loud bang as he swung the doors open. "And why not?" "Two words….you disgust me!" he replied storming past the blonde not even looking at him. "WHAT!" Salem roared in reply. "Is this because I ran into your wall?" "It's true what they say, blondes really aren't that bright." Salem's face grew red with anger and Hercules could see the tension between the two. "Hey hey hey now Phil, it was an accident, I'm sure…" "Salem" Salem helped to finish his sentence. "Salem didn't mean to hit your wall, cut them some slack." "Nuh uh, aint no way aint no how!" the stubborn goat protested. "Besides he would have to go through training through me before he got in. Not even Sora got in his first try without passing my test." Salem's jaw almost dropped to the ground. "YOU TRAINED SORA!" Akira stirred in her sleep and Salem was quick to quiet down. "Well of course I trained Sora; I train all of the big league heroes." The once hardheaded goat now said proudly. "Wow that is so incredible, well can you train me?" "Nuh uh." Phil shook his head in rejection which just about broke his heart. "I only train heroes, not wanna bes." "I'm not a wanna be, I'm a key blader." Salem protested as he summoned his weapon back to him. Shock radiated off of Phil and Hercules face as they stared at the magnificent key shaped sword Salem held in his hand. A smirk developed on his face "Just like Sora, you have to let me be trained now; I'm gonna be the next big legend right after Sora." He laughed throwing his sword over his shoulder confidently. "Psh" Phil shrugged," you need more than a fancy sword to be a hero kid. You're not worth my time." Salem's heart broke "but…you have to teach me…I'm not strong enough to protect her." It was then that the entire party looked over at Akira, who during this entire time was still knocked out from the earlier events. "I'm a screw up…I know I am. But I don't want her to get hurt because of that. I want to keep her safe, so please." He got on his knees and folded his hands, head down as his eyes clinched back tears. "Teach me…"

Phil eyed the boy curiously, obviously weighing out the variables of the situation. "Come on Phil," Hercules persuaded. "And if he wins the tournament then he can pay you back the money for the wall." He pleaded in Salem's favor. There was a long pause between the three as it felt like the entire room awaited Phil's answer. The hybrid man sighed heavily at Salem with obvious irritation, but then looked again at the unconscious girl. His eyes saddened a bit at her pitiful state. "…alright I'll do it." The tension broke instantly at the sound of Phil's voice and Salem jumped off of his knees in pure excitement. "But not for you…if your gonna be a keyblader there are going to be a lot of people counting on you." Phil spoke with wisdom dripping off of his words and for the first time Salem was taking it all in piece by piece. "Not just this young girl. I don't know a whole lot about this keyblader shin dig but one thing is certain." He paused almost thinking his words carefully before he went any further with the naïve blonde. "You're not allowed to be a screw up." Salem began to say something in his defense but stopped mid-way. He didn't want to be seen as a child like he knew everyone did. He was going to be an adult, and this was the first step. Taking this old goats crap in order to get stronger, it was his duty. This gift was in trusted to him and he would make sure he was a gift to everyone and not the worlds curse.

Salem aimed as best as he could as he rushed toward the barrel in front of him. He swung as hard as he could at his target and the weak barrel flew apart by his might. He smirked at his destructive power and admired the rubbish that was scattered all around the training ground floor. "THAT'S GOOD!" Phil shouted at the confident blonde. "NOW GET THE OTHER 30! YOU'VE GOT A MINUTE!" Salem stared back at Phil with disbelief but picked up his pace regardless. He slashed and jumped over the obstacles set in his path to slow him down to the barrels. Which worked his first five times, one obstacle tripped him right as he got to the last barrel and he ran out of time before he could get it. And of course Phil always took every chance he could to put him down and make him feel less that "You call that a jump?" "My grandma hits harder than you!" "Rule number 162…focus on your target!" Phil would call out to the boy during his struggles of completing his training. However no matter how badly Phil would dog him he never gave in. In fact Salem liked this type of training; it was more hands on than what Yen Sid had given him. It kept his mind alert and alive, and even though he wasn't quite succeeding yet at this task, he could feel himself improving. His body reacted quicker, stronger, more like someone who was supposed to be handling a weapon and less like a boy fiddling with a toy sword.

Salem glanced up at the stands above him and noticed someone was watching him; it took a second for his vision to focus in on the mysterious object but even from this distance he could see a purple dress and black hair. _She's okay! She's awake!_ His concentration of the course went out the window as he accidently missed the jump onto a floating platform and fell off the course. "Ughhh…ouch" the blonde said as he staggered to stand back up. "Come on rookie what happened to your charisma? Aint no way you gonna be able to be a hero like that!" Salem smirked at Phil's comment "Can't let that happen now can we" he murmured to himself as he picked himself back up and continued the course. "Rule number 95, kid: concentrate." Phil continued as he reset the timer for the blonde.

Salem took a deep breath and focused. _I won't fail in front of her. This is my chance to show her I'm not just some kid, I can do this. I'm gonna show everybody I can do this. The keyblade chose ME and I deserve to have it! _Salem thought as confidence pumped through his veins. An inner strength he had never felt before pulsed and surged, he felt his limbs sizzle with electricity as he readied for Phil to announce him to start. It was like this power that was hidden within him was building and building to the point that when Phil finally shouted "GO!" For the young keyblader to begin, Salem zoomed like a flash of light to each barrel. Salem's eyes went wide as his body began to move faster than his entire surroundings. It was as if the entire world was going in slow motion and he was the only one going at regular speed, smacking barrels with ease and intense power. He back handed one barrel with his beloved key and the barrel sizzled past, running into three other barrels and finding colliding with the arena wall. The blonde finally got to his 25th target only to realize that his entire skin was a pure white. His mind began to panic however his body continued to react to his surroundings and finally he eliminated the very last barrel with one final blow. As his blade made contact with the target's rim a blinding light radiated off his keyblade and the barrel sizzled and burned as he sliced it cleanly right down the middle.

That final blow somehow returned everything to as it was before. The only difference was Salem was panting heavily and Phil, Akira, and even Herc stared wide eyed with complete shock as each individuals jaw dropped to the ground. No one could even make a sound; the scene they had just witnessed was just too much for their minds to grasp at one time. It took Hercules clapping in approval to finally break the silence. "Good job Salem! I knew you could do it!" he shouted to the boy with intense praise and pride. There was a puff of black smoke on Salem's side, and Akira suddenly appeared beside him "What the hell was that?" she asked eyeing him with wonder and awe. "I've never seen anything like that." She continued with puzzlement in her eyes. "Yeah me either." Salem said looking at his weapon curiously. "That was incredible Rookie! You broke the record in 2 seconds. Literally look at the stop watch!" Phil lifted up the watch with intense vigor and sure enough that's exactly what the screen said. "I have no idea what that was." Phil continued excitement all over his face. "But that's definitely gonna cut it for the games." "You mean….I can sign up?" the blonde asked, his smile growing to a huge goofy grin. "Yeah, both of you can if you want." Phil said, his excitement seeping back into his normal grumpy demeanor. "Hey but doesn't she have to go through training like I did?" the blonde asked. "Nah, Ladies have free reign" Phil said as he winked at the young girl. The raven haired girl just rolled her eyes as an expression of disgust developed on her face. "Uh thanks that sounds fine." She said to the goat man and he nodded in approval. "Alright ill go sign you guys up now. It starts an hour from now so I suggest you warm up or whatever. There are 10 rounds total, no breaks, no summoning. Just do your best and you'll be fine." He instructed as he walked back inside.

The two teenagers looked at each other, each wearing a smile of endearment for the other. She went and gave the boy a hug "I'm so proud of you." She said as she released the grasp. Salem's smile was still glowing on his face "Thanks." He said putting his hands behind his head smugly "It was nothing." "Well I hope not, cause from the sound of these 'games' I don't wanna have to save your ass when things get tough. I hate losing to anyone or anything and the less slack I have the better." Her own smug harshness returning to her voice as she eyed the boy confidently. "I don't think that's gonna be a problem." He laughed, and was soon joined by the young heartless. _That won't be a problem ever again_ he thought to himself as the feeling of reassurance radiated off of him. He had finally done it, found an inner strength that was all his own.


	20. An outcrying nightmare

**Akira - An outcrying nightmare**

* * *

Akira's eyes grew heavy underneath all of the stress she had put her body through. Her head ached and pounded as she dropped the dark bubble around them protecting them from any further harm. _Sleepy…so sleepy_ she thought to herself as her vision faded to a deeper and deeper black in the arms of her companion.

"_Hey Leain? Do you think we will always be like this?" Akira asked eyeing her brother for the answer she so craved. The young boy gazed down the city as he pondered such a thing. His light blue eyes peering over their beloved city of Lunar Valley. As the two siblings sat upon a high skyscraper a gust of wind flowed through the air and ruffled their shared ebony hair playfully. Finally her elder brother said "Well I should hope so Kira, I can't imagine why we wouldn't be." He smiled gently at his younger sibling and she grinned back at his reply. Such love and care was placed in his voice that she couldn't help but be happy around him. The two looked above the bustling town and stared at the full blue moon that had always shown since the beginning of time. "I wonder what it's like to have a sun." Leain eyed her wildly "What does it matter?" he protested "That stuff doesn't exist anyway so why worry about it." Shock radiated in her entire face "But I've seen one Leain!" She protested, all of the sudden the memory of such an anonmity came flowing back to her piece by piece. "What are you talking about? When was this?" Leain's face now eyed his sister as he secretly questioned the girl's sanity. "No I'm serious Lea, back in Twilight town, me and Faylin…" the sole mention of his name froze the entire scene of her dream. _

_The scene of Lunar Valley slowly melted away but was followed up by the white room of the mansion. That beautiful white room that she loved being in. Leain's face morphed and twisted till it was no longer his own. The man before her now had white gorgeous hair and one beautiful crystal blue eye gazing at her. The other was shielded by a black eye patch, just another mystery of his she wanted so desperately to crack. His face however was twisted in pain as he peered down at the lonely girl. Almost as if his nonexistent heart broke right at the sight of her, and as a result hers did as well "Faylin I'm so sorry!" She ran into his arms tears bleeding from her eyes. "I didn't wanna leave you I promise; I just don't want him to hurt you."_

"_Do you mean me?" and this time the scene twitched back to that empty room she had been locked away in the basement. Faylin fell like dead wait into her arms and as she carried his weak body on her chest she looked at her hands to see that black blood was oozing from his back. She stared in horror as she laid the beloved man on the cold concrete ground. He was dying, and she looked up to see who the culprit was. "Warren!" she snarled as the blonde from her childhood laughed at her wickedly. "Don't you see silly Kira? You can't run from me, you can't protect him." He kicked Faylin in the side, and the poor man spat out more black blood from his mouth. "If I can't have you, then no one can, not Leain, not your friends, and not this piece of shit!" Warren shouted right as he was about drop kick Faylin's face in with his boot. _

"NNOOOOO!" Akira shot out of her sleep sweat dripping from her brow from the very real nightmare she had just witnessed. "Hey are you okay?" Akira jumped at the sound of the new voice but then saw that it was no threat. She could see the man's heart glow of purity and even though she would have loved to devour such a beautiful thing whole she suppressed the urge. "Uhhh yeah I'll be okay…where am I?" she looked around curiously seeing that she was in some kind of Greek styled building and there where trophies decorating the walls. "This Olympic Coliseum, where fighters come to test their skills, your friend is already training with Phil as we speak and I told him I'd look after you. My name is Hercules, what's yours?" He asked holding out a hand. She was not used to such hospitality from random strangers and awkwardly shook the muscular man's hand. "Umm…its Akira Newborn….can I go see Salem?" she asked wearily and stood up slowly so that her previous headache from before she blacked out would not return. "Oh yea sure that's fine, here I'll show you the way." Hercules said and began to walk down an extremely dark corridor.

They took many twists and turns, but eventually the corridor lead them to an empty stand made of nothing but the same brick that was used for the rest of the building. The rows stretched as long as a football field and it looked like it could fit thousands. _It must really be a sight to have this placed packed._ She thought as she imagined hundreds of crazed fans all cheering and screaming for the winning team. Her eyes trailed down the stair like stands to see an arena being used on the ground floor. The floor looked smoother than the stones being used for the seats, and there where huge stone platforms arranged in all sorts of designs, each either holding a barrel or guarding one by its side for whatever reason. It was then that she saw Salem cut around the corner of a platform and break a barrel that sat nearby. "This is Phil's training style. Its rigorous work but he seems to be getting somewhere." Hercules said as he examined the scene. This was the first time Akira had really observed Salem's fighting style. And deeper understood Faylin's nagging of posture. Salem wasn't a poor fighter, but he was very awkward about it, his swings powerful, but sloppy. His steps quick, but very chaotic. The boy glanced up slightly up at Akira and Herc and his concentration that was painted on his face broke in seconds. Unfortunately as a result Akira watched the keyblader miss his footing and fall to the ground floor with a loud thud. She cringed her face in pain from watching the scene, and a twinge of disappointment flashed in her chest. She wanted to see the boy succeed. He was so much like her in so many ways, only unlike her he didn't have the advantage of added strength and agility from the darkness she bore. He had to start from scratch, and because of his age and inexperience he has always been looked down upon. Even she was guilty of such things when they first met. And yet all of her pervious opinions of the naïve boy vanished as she saw just how hard Salem was honestly trying. He was giving it his absolute best, he wanted to get better, he wanted to earn people's respect, you could tell by how hard he was focusing.

All of the sudden this satyr started fussing at her companion about his poor performance, Akira could only assume this had to be the 'Phil' Hercules spoke of but that didn't stop her jaw dropping from shock at the odd looking man. She couldn't really hear what he was saying but based on his posture and hand gestures it looked to be a bit harsh. If that were her she would have given up, but Salem didn't even react to his coach's brutality. He just picked himself up and got right back to the starting point to start the trail again. Something felt different in the air; she could sense it with her heartless sixth sense. There was a power growing around them…but where was it coming from. She looked all around the stadium for any signs of an unbirth that might be the cause of such a change in atmosphere but nowhere did she find such a thing. "GO!" Phil shouted and all of the sudden there was a bright light radiating on the arena field. The dark girl had to shield her eyes from such harshness to her delicate eyes, but she managed to kinda see what was going on down below. Salem was glowing like someone had just hit a light switch to his body and moved at such a pace no human eye would ever be able to keep up with. However she was an easy exception having eyes of a heartless. She could make out that as he swung the keyblade it was as if static was radiating from the blade as he fiercely attacked each one. Every barrel that made friction with his weapon increased the static build up in his keyblade, making each swing stronger and more deadly than the last. When Salem finally got to the last barrel which only took about 2 seconds of his time, all of the buildup power that he had gained from his other targets was released in one huge blast from his keyblade. She could see the barrel singe and burn as Salem sliced right through the center.

The entire stadium was eerily quiet as Salem's once shinning skin dimed back to his natural tone, his keyblade returning to its original form. And the boy panting from the over exertion of his body. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen in her entire life. _Gail, you would be so proud right now._ Akira thought as a smile for her new friend's accomplishment grew on her face and she poofed down to congratulate him.


	21. A victors cry

**Salem and Akira - A victors cry**

* * *

"I went ahead and signed you up on the Phil cup" Phil said as he flipped through his papers. Salem glanced at the Phil cup trophy that sat on the display. It was a bit smaller than the rest, however engraved on it was the name Sora. Etched into its side. He walked on to each trophy and every single one had the same thing, Salem's idle had won every match offered here. "What's the hardest tournament you guys have?" the blonde asked Phil curiously. "Let's see, the hardest one we still offer here is Gold Match." Phil informed. "But that's WAY out of your league kid so don't you be getting any ideas." He said grumpily. "I want that one." Salem said coolly. "Hey now Salem." Hercules intervened. "Phil is right, there is no way you can take on that without winning the others first." Unlike Phil's tone you could tell the man genuinely didn't wanna see Salem or Akira get hurt. However, regardless the blonde didn't waver. "I don't care, if Sora could do it. Then so can I." His eyes burned with an intense fire of determination. "Alright." Phil said erasing their names from the one sheet and put it on the other. "WHAT?! Phil you can't be serious!" Herc was in pure shock at his coach's decision. "Herc I'm getting old, I don't have time to fight with you kids. If he wants to get himself killed he can be my guest. I'll see you two here an hour from now." The old goat said as he waddled down the dark corridor. Hercules let out a large sigh and then turned to Salem with deep worry in his blue eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing." "I've never been so sure about anything in my life." Salem winked and put a thumbs up to reassure the Greek hero. He looked to Akira, then back to Salem, still not feeling confident of the change of events. "Just be careful out there you guys." He said as he walked down the corridor as well.

Salem turned to Akira who was leaning against a wall the whole time with a look interest in her face. "You sure you're gonna be able to handle this?" she asked as her eyebrows rose with the question. "Of course I can, I've never felt more alive in my entire life, I feel like I could take out a god! And with you fighting beside me we should have no problem." He grinned wildly at the young girl, and Akira only smirked at the youthfulness behavior of he held. "Alright well we have an hour; perhaps we can take a look at this." She said as she pulled out a book out of her bag. The book had a gold cover and seemed a bit tattered. "What is this?" he asked. "It's a book Faylin…" pain stung in her face at the mention of the word. But she pushed through it. "Gave to me at the mansion in Twilight Town. It's supposed to teach you the basics of magic." "Like the crazy shit Gail can do?" His eyes flashed with excitement. "Umm yeah I'm pretty sure there is nothing that advanced in here, but I mean hey it's a start right? And it can't hurt to have some magical abilities under our belt before we take on this 'Gold Match' you signed us up for." She said as she air quoted the words Gold match. Salem opened the book and inside lied explanations, illustrations, and all sorts of information for elemental spells, and even healing spells. If master Yen Sid could see him now looking at a book he was sure the old man would have a heart attack and croak on the spot. He looked at Akira who smiled with anticipation, "Alright let's go outside and do this!" he said raising his hand for a high-five. "Sorry you're not cool enough for high fives yet." She winked at the boy playfully and began to walk outside where the giant gladiator statues stood. "Hey that's not nice!" Salem laughed. "I'm a heartless; I'm not supposed to be."

"Well this doesn't look to bad." Salem said. He looked at the picture of a man lifting his weapon to the sky, and all that he said was thunder and a barrage of lighting would stream down from the sky. And so he followed the example and lifted his keyblade effortlessly to the heavens. "THUNDAR!" The blonde shouted and sure enough lighting came pouring down on top of them. "Hey!" Akira snapped as she flipped just barely out of the way from one of the sudden lightning strikes. "Watch where you're pointing that thing!" "Oh woops, my bad." He said sheepishly. "But you have to admit that was pretty awesome!" "Yeah awesome if you like killing people!" she snarled back. And snatched the book from him. "I'm going way the hell over here so I won't be considered target practice anymore." She glanced at the book. "And by the way genius it says here that the lighting goes for the first tallest thing around you. Try not to make that ME!" and she stormed off. The hour passed within seconds it felt like, and before Salem even knew it the sun had dimed and provided little light for the two as they stood outside practicing. Salem had managed to figure out how to conjure his lightning strikes within a set region around him, but there was no control possessed yet. He didn't really pay attention to Akira much during their solo session but on occasion he saw her create fire in her palm. Like him there was not much power behind her casting but it was a start.

"HEY! WOULD YOU TWO GET IN HERE? THE MATCH IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" Phil shouted at the two, and like children being called in for dinner the teenagers rushed inside the coliseum. The torches were all lit now throughout the previous dark corridor. But the shadows that illuminated around them made the journey to the arena that much more eerie. There was a tight knot in Salem's stomach as they approached the opening that would lead them to their challenger. But he tried to shove his nerves to the back of his mind. He was going to do this; he had no doubt in his mind. He stepped out of the corridor to be welcomed by hundreds of fans, all who were screaming and cheering his name with excitement and awe. "What is all of this?" Akira asked the grumpy midget as she eyed the crowd with an odd expression on her face. Her hand grasped her neck as if it was sore or raw and her face bore an uncomfortable look in her eyes. However Phil didn't even pay attention as he stared out at the sight. "Pretty impressive turn out, a lot more than I was expecting. Word got out there was another keyblader fighting in the games and they came pouring in." He said with pride in his voice. "Bout time people started to show respect for the games other than JUST the competitors." He said as he wiped his nose on his arm and grinned. You could tell the old satyr lived for his coliseum, and to see it filled to the brim with supporters made his day. He took a deep cleansing breath and Phil's proud demeanor soon turned back to his average grumpy and serious tone. "Are you sure you're ready for this? No one deserves to lose his life for their ego." He said very sternly, mainly focusing on Salem. "Stop badgering me Phil I know I can do this." Salem fussed at the man's lack of support and marched onto the arena floor. A fidgety Akira following behind him, her eyes never releasing from the crowd around her. As soon as the two both entered the cleared marble floor a magical barrier locked the two inside. It was a type of white magic Salem thought because it looked a lot like the barriers Yen Sid would lock him in whenever he wasn't pay attention to one of his lessons. The earlier knot from before grew more intense as the feeling of claustrophobia seemed in his mind. He glanced at Akira and there was something wild in her eyes. She still had a firm grip on her throat only this time it seemed like her nails were beginning to dig into her skin. Her head twitched around the invisible box they had been put in and she looked like a caged animal.

It was then that their opponent made its dramatic entrance and appeared before them in the arena. It was a giant Ice beast that towered over them like a three story building. Its entire body was made of nothing but frozen water and the air grew chilled by just being in its presence. The Titian's appearance was overall menacing as the ice protruded in sharp patterns on its body like bones sticking out of a starving dog. The Ice Titan lifted up its leg, which broke off the main formation on the floor, and slammed its leg back into place, causing a huge earthquake underneath them. Salem was knocked back into the barrier, his back making the first impact to the invisible surface and he spat out blood from the impact. Akira however had already summoned her blades avoided the ground by piercing her samurai sword into its thigh with a superhuman leap. The Titan howled with pain and then swatted the young girl away like a fly. She flew to the opposite side of the arena and like Salem had, hit the barrier full force with her body. The Titan then made a ball of ice appear in midair and with a simple hand gesture delivered long ice shard missiles straight for Akira. "NO!" Salem shouted and like before an intense power surged through his body as it began to glow. The ice shards began to slow down as his speed increased tenfold he ran in front of Akira before they could even get near her and with a mighty jump leaped on top of the first projectile. His skin still glowed like a brilliant sun and the friction of his feet moving at this pace made the frozen water melt from underneath him. So with careful precision he aimed his footing and leaped from one shard to the other, each taking him higher and higher off of the ground. A smile grew on his face _I'm doing it! I'm really doing it!_ He thought as he made his final jump heading toward the giant's head and his keyblade released a massive blow of light straight through. Salem's skin began to return to its normal glow and as the steam from his attack began to drift away, Salem grasped that his attack hadn't finished the job like he had thought. The ice Titan screeched with fury as Salem realized that instead of going straight through the monster as he did with the barrel. He had made it from the top of the beasts head, to the middle of his eyes. Salem shrieked with fear as he saw the monster retaliate and went to slap him off with his sharp brutally cold hand. However, instead of hitting Salem the monster only slapped himself in the face and Salem found himself flying through the air. He looked up to see Akira had changed into that monstrous form that she took back in Twilight town. Her hands were gravelly and cold as she held him in midair, and her mouth was a jar to reveal very sharp teeth. _This isn't Akira…_Salem thought as all of the color in his face vanished in fear.

The Ice Titan fell to the ground at the result of his attack back firing on him. And Akira flew down far enough to drop him without him getting hurt. Her hands were morphed into her own blades from before and there was a look of hunger and bloodlust in her eyes. "So….many…hearts…"her voice came out as a whisper but was coated with gravel, as if a demon spoke alongside her. "I burn for them….my throat hurts so much…" her arm touched her throat as if this motion would somehow comfort her inner pain "Faylin where are you…" a single tear escaped from her eye as the monster inside suddenly took over and she bellowed a malicious roar. She lunged forward and hacked away at the Titans chest with her own monstrous like abilities. The crowd didn't know exactly what was going on, or the true danger that was being presented before them. They just continued to cheer for the massive display of violence that was being shown. Salem couldn't move, he was terrified that if he even breathed that monster would start tearing away at his own flesh. Finally after chopping away mountains of solid ice Akira found the item she sought. A heart the size of her head shown inside the monsters chest and right as she was about to snatch it the Ice Titian made one final attempt at saving its own life. It raised its sharp cold hand up above her head and was about to pierce her body straight through with one finger. It was then that Salem's fear was shoved in the back of his head. "Oh no you don't!" he said as he lifted his keyblade to the sky and said the magic word. He focused hard on just where he wanted it to go, how he wanted his magic to be developed and acted upon. All of his concentration the naïve blonde could muster was now being used for this one move to save his friend. One giant lightning bolt shot from the heaven and straight down on the skull of the Titian. The beast let out a cold breath of air that was certain to be the last one he would ever take. The heartless girl morphed back into her human state and swallowed the heart whole.

However no one seemed to notice except Salem. The crowd was off of its feet and was going crazy for the young man's triumph. Streamers and balloons fell into the arena as the fans did all that they could to congratulate the young keyblader's victory. A smile shown on Salem's face and it was as if his whole body was glowing again, only this time instead of power it was pure happiness. "I did it I really did it." He said out of breath. No one really thought he could do it, and yet here he was the winner of the Gold Match. Phil clopped over to him with Hercules following behind. "Here kiddo," Hercules said. "You earned it kid," Phil added. " I would now like to announce!" the satyr spoke up for all to hear. His voice automatically calling attention from the roudy crowd. "Salem Moss, and Akira Newborn. Winners for today's Gold Match. As honorary Rookie Heroes!"

The cheers from that day Salem was sure could be heard from all across the galaxy as the two victors walked outside the coliseum with their giant trophy. Akira however hadn't said anything the entire time, she seemed depressed. But honestly Salem didn't wanna bring it up. Nothing was going to ruin this moment what so ever. Or at least so he thought….


	22. Fateful promise: Part 1

**Everyone - Fateful promise part 1**

* * *

Loe's ears rung with the booming cheers that emitted from the coliseums walls. Not seeing any harm in it, he poofed into the stands, only to see the brutal end of a battle; a giant, seemingly composed of ice, fell to its knees and vanished, leaving a heart in its wake. A blond haired wielder zipped to the ground, his pose that of a finishing strike. A young girl with black hair stood there, her dress swooshing around her from the power that rippled off of the keyblade master. With a closer look, Loe could see a pained look of hunger in her furrowed brows and frown. The ebony haired girls eyes followed the heart, and with a lung, she grabbed it out of the hair, landing on the other side of the monsters remains..And devoured it. Loe cringed at the sight, but he knew one thing for sure: He'd found his two targets. Poofing back at the front gates, he sat and crossed his legs, waiting for the two victors to come out and revel in their triumph. It seemed to take forever, so he decided to creep people out to pass time. Speculators walked by, and as they did, he'd make random body parts disappear and reappear, once extending his grin so big and wide that you could see the internal structure of his skull. A woman swatted at him, but he vanished when her hand should have made contact; he giggled at all of their failed attempts, back flipping around the coliseums entrance, doing handstands and all sorts of foolish stuff. As he went for a cartwheel, someone grabbed his leg and dragged him back into the shadows. He twisted out of their grasp and summoned his keyblade, aiming it at the strangers face. "What?" he said, all serious now. The man stepped into the light, only to reveal that he wasn't a man at all. "Hey kid. I got a proposition for you." His head, Loe noted, was on fire! And his skin was blue! How cool! "I work for no one," he said, an eyebrow raised. "Oh?" "Yeah." "But I think you'd benefit greatly from this one though." The blue man clicked his fingers, and with a spark of fire, the two were absorbed into the ground, falling through to what seemed to be a circular office made of stones and bone. "I'm listening." Loe said with mock humor, seriously creeped out by his new surroundings. "You saw those two kids who took down my ice titan?" "Yeah, I guess." "I need someone to take them out, I don't care how, but I need them gone. See, we've got the Underdrome opening up soon, and I can't have some brats ruining it for me." Loe's keyblade vanished from his hands and he plopped down in an open chair, kicking his feet up on the blue mans desk. "Yeah? And what's in it for me?" The blue man smiled a freakish grin, and began to talk.

Loe fell to his knees, gasping for breath. "What..What did you do to me?" he cringed, as the blue man withdrew his hands; within his palm was a faint glow that pulsated like the rhythm of a heart. "Rule number 7 of the underworld: Don't make deals with the lord of the dead. Hades is the name, brat." Loe clung to his chest, pain ripping through it. "Now," Hades began, "I've got your soul, and you're bound to me until you've completed the terms of the contract. Your name will be on the list of compet-" Loe's keyblade flashed through the air, slicing at Hade's but he caught it in his palms. His skin flared red and his hair shot high up in the air. "GO!" he screamed. Loe backed up and ran from Hade's, clutching the area above his heart. "Goddamnit," he said as he ran through lines of heartless. He knocked them aside with his blade and made his body vanish as they went to grab him. He pushed through two giant stone doors that were decorated with blue veins, and saw the exit to the underworld. "Almost there," he ran, taking the steps up two at a time. Hade's words echoed through the underworld as he passed through the exit. "Go!" over and over again, each time even angrier. He tripped as he passed through the world of dark to the world of light, falling to the ground. He panted. "I can't.." he looked up at the sky, calling out to his sister. "Sister, if I fail, I've not much time left to spare to see you.." He could already feel a crack splitting at his leg. Standing up, he ran towards the coliseum, determined that he was going to do what he'd came to do.

Lia felts a jolt go through her body as she sat patiently with Faylin and Gail, waiting for news from her brother. He'd reached out to her, but not in the way that she had expected: He was crying out to her in desperation. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong. He hadn't revealed what it was, but she could feel a cold settling throughout her body. "Everything alright?" Faylin asked, annoyed at the delay. Gail bounced up and down on top of a mushroom, her legs kicking back and forth. "Yeah, it just got really gloomy." Lia shrugged, an appearance of ease covering her worry. "Yeah, everything fine. An ant just bit me on the ass, is all." Faylin, skeptical as always, started to protest her excuse, but she shushed him. "I'm meditating. Quiet." Out of the two twins, she was definitely the calmest. Yeah, sure, she loved pranking people, playing jokes, and all around being silly, but right now was not the moment. Her brother was in trouble, and she needed to know if she should abandon their game and come to his aid. She concentrated upon his image, picturing him in precise detail. No. No, he'll be okay. He doesn't need me. Content with this answer, she turned back to the two siblings and jumped up. "Come on now, don't be so glum! I'll fetch us some tea and cake." She did a backwards somersault into the air and was gone, returning within a matter of moments with a tray in her hands. Lia tossed the tray up into the air, and the food items seemed to catch in the air and hang there. With a flick of her fingers, they wisped through the air and revolved around the three of them, landing carefully in place in front of them. "I don't want anything to eat.." Faylin pouted. "I want Akira and the boy safe." "Pshh," Lia scolded poofing into Faylin's arms. "What a bother, human sentiment." Placing a kiss on his nose she stood up and went back to her spot, plopping down. She had more important things to do than babysit, and so she would do them. "Besides," Gail piped up, "Food will make us small and green, remember?"

Loe ran smack into the two victors. "Woah, what's the rush clown boy?" the blond said with a smile. He grabbed Loe by the shoulders and held him back, "Salem," he offered. "And this here is my girlfriend Akira!" The girl punched him in the shoulder, and he winced. "I'm not your damn girlfriend, quit telling everyone I am. Just because you got the shiny trophy doesn't mean you got the girl." Salem looked hurt, but it was gone quickly, replaced by an emotion of excitement. "Did you get a chance to see us back there!?" he asked Loe, "We were crazy awesome! We kicked ass!" Loe couldn't resist his charm. "Why, yes handsome, I did." He winked. "It was amazing," he was behind Salem now and his hands covered his eyes. "You'll have to…show me your moves one day, okay?" He giggled, letting the boy go and twisting around to face the boy's front. "Yeah, okay. Sure!" Salem said, confusion and joy seeping through his lips. Loe curtsied with a glorious smile on his face. "Oh God, Salem!" Akira said a little louder than necessary, her eyes filling with tears as she laughed. "He's obviously gay! And he's hitting on you!" Loe shook his head in agreement and winked once more. Salem's face filled with color, and he stumbled over his words. "Oh..I'm..I'm flattered…But you see..I have..A girlfriend." "No you don't." "Damn it all, Akira, I do so!" he was flustered all over, and Loe couldn't help but blush a little himself at the elegant beauty this boy brought with his looks. Salem was fidgeting with the trophy, and he was obviously uncomfortable. "Oh don't get your panties in a wad, cutie." Loe's head said, no longer on his shoulders but floating in front of the blond boy. "Ah!" Salem yelled. "Stop that!" Akira giggled again, holding her sides in pain from all the laughing she was doing. "This is golden," she said, teasing Salem. "Salem's got a secret admirer." "Not so much secret," Loe said, stating the obvious. In an attempt to change the subject, Salem asked, "So, are you attending the games?" "But of course. Why else would I be here?" Loe picked up his head and put it back on his shoulders, loving how he made Salem squirm. "I'm here to win, and to take down all in my way." Holding his hand out, Loe summoned his keyblade: it was a complex design, long like a sword with the built up key-head of black thorns that weaved their way down and around the actual key, coming out to form a woven handle of black and white. At the tail end of it, a symbol long forgotten hung, telling to him and his sister alone the stories of their creation. "Woah," Salem said, instantaneously forgetting the previous conversation. "You're a keyblade master!? Like me! That's so freaking cool!" He was jumping up and down with excitement. "I've never met one before! Do you know Sora! How about Riku? Huh? Huhhh? Tell meeeee!" Loe looked at him in puzzlement. True, he'd heard the names before, and tiny pieces of a story here and there, but he never knew anything about them. "No..I don't." A look of disappointment crossed Salem's face, and Loe just wanted to hug him, but he wouldn't. He'd win his heart when the time was right. "How sad. Oh well! One day I'll be just like them!" Loe laughed, "Alright."

The three talked about the processes of the tournament, how you had to train to prepare yourself for battle, learning magic and fighting tactics that would help keep you alive, and not to Salem's and Akira's surprise, Loe was already signed up and trained. 'Trained.' Air quotes and all. Loe, giving the idea that he had no clue who the two were, started off on his story. "I want to become stronger.." he started, talking about how he didn't think his strength was all that great. Making sure the two were paying attention, he continued on, juggling his legs with his arms. "Two of my friends..They were killed recently in heartless attack. I was helping them..But I failed. They were trying to find people that were important to them, and they'd asked me for my help back on my homeworld. I agreed to help, but then this horrible force came. They called themselves the Unbirths." He told Salem and Akira of how the hoards of heartless had raided his world and taken all they could for themselves, leaving only a few survivors stranded throughout the worlds. He told of how he'd had to watch his friends suffer because they wouldn't allow him to attack, and that the female had used magic to restrain him from helping out. He told them of how he'd cried and pleaded with them to let him go so that he could save them, but how it was no use. "Oh my god," Akira said. "That's so horrible." "What were their names?" Salem said, feeling sympathy for Loe. "Faylin." Loe paused, pushing the chess piece in place. "And Gail."

"What?!" They both yelled at the same time. "That's bullshit!" Akira said, tears filling her eyes. She shoved at Loe, standing up and walking off. She returned; her face livid. "You're a liar! I don't believe you!" "Yeah!" Salem joined in. "I'm calling serious bs!" Akira's body shook with rage and sadness. "Warren, you bastard." "Now wait," Salem started. "Prove it." Loe hung his head is fake sorrow, and pulled from within his pouch the small dagger Faylin had given him, and the necklace Gail had always wore. "No." Akira said, turning around in circle. She pulled at her hair and stomped her feet. "No, no, no!" she screamed at Loe, snatching the blade from his hands. "No! They can't be dead! He can't be dead! We did this to protect them!" Salem took from Loe's hand the necklace and held it close to his face, examining it. "Oh my god.. It's hers.. She never took it off." He joined Akira in her panic, beginning to cry. "Oh god." He hugged Akira. "They're gone..They're really gone." "No," Akira said, sliding down to the ground, defeated. "He can't be.." Loe feigned remorse, and joined in with them and their sadness. "So you two knew them as well?" he started, placing things just as he wanted them. "Yeah," Akira said. "We were..Partners with them. Me with Faylin, Salem here with Gail." He could tell her spirit was broken. "I see. How about we make them proud then?" He pushed up on his knee and stood up. "Lets all become stronger so that we can protect those we love and save them!" "Yeah!" Salem said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Yeah, we can do that." Akira said, barely smiling. "Alright guys, then let's go beat us a tournament."

"I'm so sick of waiting!" Faylin said as he punched a tree. "We've got to go look!" "That'ssss not a good idea," Lia taunted him. "Why the hell not!?" She trotted so that she stood directly in front of him and stared him down with a piercing glare. "Because, my brother has yet to find them.." "W-what?" Faylin said, stumbling. "What do you mean?" "I mean, the last traces of them were found on a world that's fallen to ruin, and there is no sign of them." "You're kidding me," Gail said butting in on the conversation. "No, I'm not." "Take us there"! Faylin said, his voice murderous. "Take us there goddamned now!" Lia raised her hands and said, "Suit yourselves." She snapped her thumbs and they were being thrown through space, spiraling downwards to no end. They crashed into an open pool of water, sinking downwards as they did. Gail was unconscious and sinking fast towards the bottom. Faylin reached for her and grabbed her, pulling her upwards till they broke free of the waters pull. She wasn't breathing, so he began to push down on her chest at a rapid pace and blew air into her lungs. She arched upwards and choked out water. "Goddamnit," she croaked. "I take it you're not used to traveling like that, then." Lia said, spreading out her arms and circling. "Welcome to the end of this world." It was a vast plain of light purple water that rippled endlessly to some unseen force. Walls of invisible power created a maze of boundaries. Jagged rocks stuck out from the water, creating a treacherous path that they could follow. "Where's your brother?" Faylin asked, rubbing his head as he helped Gail to her feet. "He's within a cavern located near the heart of the world." Seeing a look of doubt upon his face, she continued: "I cannot reach it through any possible means. It's a walk we will have to take."

The trio stood together fighting in unison as the heartless descended upon them. Salem taking the left flank, Loe the right, and Akira the front and back. The crowds cheered them on as they surpassed all of the given challenges. Phil and Hercules would come with each progression in rounds and hold their hands up high in the air, encouraging the crowd to chant the threes name with honest excitement. At the beginning of the rounds, before they'd taken center stage, Loe had raised a magical spell of protection in toast of the honor of the fallen, yet it be not known to the other two that it was in fact, not a spell of protection, but a spell of memory: this spell was specifically designed to weaken the bonds of memory within the hearts of those it was cast upon, and gradually make them forget. And forget they did. With each round, the appearance of recognition was lost to them and they slowly forgot their purpose. "That's so great, Akira," Salem said, going in for a high five. "I know! We're so strong!" She giggled, continuing the high five to Loe. "We got this," he winked at Salem. Salem, too exhilarated to notice, grinned, showing all of his teeth. They did a group fist bump, and the two keybladers waved their keyblades over their head, leaving a trail of magic dust in its circular path. This drove the crowds crazy, and the team was filled with joy. Hercules came out to announce the final foe. "Crowds! We have our rookie heroes on their endless quest of becoming fully fledged heroes!" The crowd roared. "Now they must pass a certain test to move onto the final rounds! Each other!" Salem and Akira stopped cold, looking back and forth between them and Loe. "Loe vs. Salem vs. Akira! A three on three battle of the ages!"


	23. Fateful promise: Part 2

**Fateful promise: Part 2**

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Faylin and Gail followed Lia along a twisted path that looked as if it would break off into the water at any time. "Is this..Safe?" Gail asked, holding her arms tight against her. "Of course not. We could fall in and drown at any given moment, but brother boo wanted to come, so I'm giving him what he wants." Faylin rolled his eyes and told her to shut up, to which she flung her detached hand at his face, brandishing the bird like a fearsome weapon. Eventually, they made it to the entrance of a cave that seemed to drop down into oblivion. Ashes fell like blackened snow into the cavern, giving it an eerily creepy appearance. "Here we go," Lia said as she fell backwards into the cavern; her fall was silent. "I don't know about you, but I'm floating down," Gail said, horrified. Faylin nodded and she took his hand and descended lightly into the cavern. They landed steadily on their feet with a brief thud, looking at their surroundings: they were on a cliff edge standing in front of a dark mountain that had a staircase encompassing it. Lia was halfway up it by the time they reached the bottom. Faylin picked Gail up and jumped to where Lia was, and silently continued on. They reached the top to find another staircase that led downwards into the mountain, and they began to descend. "Be care—" Lia began, interrupted as neoshadows flooded upwards and fell upon them. "Shit," She called, summoning her keyblade and swiping at them. Faylin drew his blade and Gail readied her magic, lunging at the heartless with the force of a powerful storm.

Loe knew this would come, but he didn't realize how horribly screwed he'd be when it happened. He stood in between Salem and Akira who were on opposite sides of the field. "Ready? And..GO!" Everyone stood still, anticipating the moves of one another. Akira shifted into her heartless form, and Loe stared in awe. No one had told him she could to THAT. Salem starting to emit this faint white light, and he looked pumped and ready to kick ass. Loe, out of the three, was just standing there, gawking at their awesome power. He rolled his shoulders back, readying himself for a serious ass beating. His breath was uneven and shaky as he called forth the power of his keyblade. He whipped it out in front of him and held it up in the air, a circle of black light coming forth from its tip, crawling around his arm and body like black thorns, creating a sharp barrier around him. He sliced his blade down, sending out rays of thorns towards the others, formally initiating the battle. Their powers collided, throwing one another back into the shield that protected the crowd from harm. "Umph," Loe said, falling to his knees. His body was weakened already enough from Hade's taking from him his soul, and it was only a matter of time before it would shatter and break from the exertion and damage taken upon it from this battle. He could see Hade's watching from the sidelines, and he was horrified to see that he was holding a doll that resembled him over and open flame that he held in his palm. "No." he said, squeezing his eyes shut, thinking of his twin. "I will do this." He stabbed his keyblade into the ground, splitting it apart with a giant quake. From within the crack crawled out monsters that were a mixture between heartless and nobodies. They were horribly disfigured and gnarled, twitching their way slowly towards his opponents at first, and then zipping towards them to restrain them. Black thorns erupted from his blade and twisted around the foes, squeezing the life out of them and causing them to bleed. He could see the two struggling to get free, and they were managing, but with the pain of the thorns and darkness seeping into their wounds, they would be severely weekend.

Gail fell to the ground out of exhaust, Faylin not too far behind. The three stood there, panting and worn. "What the hell man." Faylin started. "There were so many of them," Gail finished. "And plenty more there that came from," Lia pointed, motioning to a black cloud that was easing towards them. "Seriously!?" Gail groaned, positioning her hands out in front of her. "Oblivrithu Casthar" she screamed. Her eyes lit up, glowing as they went from a liquid blue to total white. Light shot from her fingertips, and blue lightning circled her. With another hand, she flung Faylin and Lia backwards out of the range of the attack, and began her purifying destruction. A wall of power pulsated outwards, closing in on the heartless that were drawing near. With rings of magical symbleology circulating throughout the air, heartless were targeted and destroyed, causing them to implode, leaving an imprint of star dust in the air. "Woah," Lia and Faylin said at the same time. "Your magic kinda scares me at times sis. Remind me not to piss you off." She smiled at him and asked if he'd give her a piggy back ride. Responding by slinging her over his back, they continued downward on their path. They didn't really encounter many more heartless beyond that, but the destruction upon this world was very noticeable. It was as if it was the combination of several worlds that had been destroyed, but not being sure of the matter, no one questioned it. "We're here." Lia said as they reached an empty crystal corridor that radiated purple light and throbbed with a blackened heart. "Oh..It's so…awful." Gail commented, feeling a sense of utter dread close in around her. "Where is Loe? Where is Akira? Where is Salem?" Lia, searching for a response, shrugged. "No idea. I can't sense my brothers presence anymore." Faylin's hand was around her throat and slamming her to the ground. "No more jokes, bitch." He tightened his grip "Faylin! Stop!" Gail cried, jumping down on the ground next to him. "No, Gail, she's been screwing with us this entire time. Akira's essence has never graced this world. I wasn't sure of it, but now I am." Lia struggled out a weak laugh. "You've figured out our game." She smiled, kneeing him in the gut, knocking him off of her. "Now, I will take you to your friends, but they're destroying each other as we speak, so I can't promise their remains will be intact." "UGH!" Faylin yelled out of frustration. Lia opened a portal and motioned for them to lead the way.

Akira was tearing at the bonds with her claws and teeth, and Salem was slicing his way out with his keyblade at a lightning fast speed. Soon, they would break free and his body would be destroyed. With a crack, Salem burst free, and Akira followed seconds later, charging towards Loe. "You're through!" Salem screamed as his keyblade came down upon Loe. Loe closed his eyes, waiting for his body to shatter. "Enough!" a voice echoed through the coliseum, silencing the crowd and stopping Akira and Salem in their tracks. They turned to stare at the newcomers, a blank expression upon their face. "That voice.." Akira said, confusion furrowing her brow. "I know it!" Her eyes widened as the memories came flooding back. "Faylin!" she screamed, her eyes searching hungrily for him. She couldn't see him yet, but her feelings were flushed by his presence. "No. No stop! You can't be here!" She said, backing up away from the direction she sensed him in. "I have to protect you and everyone else!" "Akira!" Faylin said pained, stepping out of the crowd and jumping down onto the battlefield, passing through the barrier within her reach. "Just stop running. Please." He had a sad tired look on his face as he walked up to her. She stared up at him with tears in her eyes, and he pulled her in for a hug. "Dumbass, I've looked everywhere for you." Gail, however, was not as pleased to see Salem. She walked right up to him and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. "You stupid jerk! I was worried sick! How could you guys do that to us?!" Salem, taken aback, hung his head in misery. "It seemed like a good idea at the time…" The four, reunited, was not in the least paying attention to the twins. Lia was holding Loe in her arms, stroking his face and examining the extensive damage he'd done to himself during their separation. "Oh dear.." "Yeah, I'm pretty messed up," he laughed. "Hade's has my soul and he's going to destroy it now." Another newcomer's laugh rung throughout the coliseum. "Not today, child." The doll was thrown to Loe, and his soul was released back into his body. The twins went stiff and chills ran down their spines. They looked up, horrified to see that they'd been found.

A man crashed down to the centerfield with horrifying grace, landing 10 ft away from everyone exactly. "Warren." Akira said, her vision going mad with anger. "I've come to collect," he said, flashing a brilliant grin that suited his features perfectly. He was about the same size as Faylin, Gail noted, with the same dazzlingly blue eyes. His hair, however, was blond and came just to the tip of his ears, brushing it like a gentle hand. "Like hell you are." Akira said, defensively standing in front of Faylin. Loe and Lia shrunk back into the crowd, but were stopped, held in place by the power of Warren's mind. "Not so fast, puppets. I've business to deal with you as well." They shrunk into themselves with fear and clung to each other. "Now my little love," Warren said walking to Akira. He grabbed her chin forcefully and brought her lips to his. "Have you thought about it? I must know soon else," he paused as a devilish grinned appeared on his face in response to her disgust, "I must take drastic matters." Faylin zoomed around Akira and grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground. "Like hell you will." He was enraged that he this man was taking such advantage of Akira..He'd just gotten her back and he wanted to protect her against everything bad. Warren, seemingly unfazed, threw Faylin off of him and advanced once more on Akira. She couldn't move, couldn't fight, and he terrified her. She knew that with him came the destruction of all she knew, all she loved. "I can't give you an answer right now." She said, hanging her head in defeat. "Soon, then darling." He phased towards the twins and grabbed both of them by the neck and held them up in the air, tossing them around like dolls. "I can't believe you escaped us. Tsk tsk, you must return with me. I can't have you running around revealing our secrets and screwing things up for us."

"Put them down," Faylin, Akira, Gail, and Salem all said in unison. "Oh? What's this? 4 pretend wannabe heroes standing up against me? This ought to be interesting." He dropped the twins and they fell to the ground and crawled away, absolutely terrified of him. Strapped to warrens back was this..Freaking gigantic gun thingy, or that's what Salem thought it was. He pulled it over his head and held it with both hands, cocking it, and firing. Out came this ray of pure dark energy that destroyed everything that it touched, leaving behind decay and ruin. "What the actual fuck," Faylin said as he gathered Gail and Akira in his arms and jumped in the air to avoid the beam. Warren laughed a beautiful laugh that was stricken by anger and hatred and joy all at the same time. "Don't run away guys, I don't bite.." He winked at Akira and licked his lips. "Much."

Oh, it was on.

Faylin and Akira shifted into their most powerful heartless forms, Gail changed into her dragon, and Salem gathered his light power together, preparing to attack the man who stood in their way. As they charged at him, Warren deflected their attacks with shots from his gun. No one wanted to get hit by it, because they knew they'd die if they did. But that was the price to pay, being who they were: death always being a risk. The heartless zoomed in on him, slashing at him with their teeth and claws, missing as he flashed inches out of reach each time. Gail shot lava hot fire from her jaws, only to have it deflected by him raising his hand to redirect it at her friends. She shot every type of magic she could, but it was futile. Salem circled him and struck out with his keyblade, the only one who was a little bit successful at harming Warren. They bashed, sliced, cast spells upon, and struck Warren for what seemed like hours. The crowd had evacuated the coliseum, seeing it as no longer safe, and their attacks boomed off the walls with deafening noise. Lia and Loe were cowering behind the stands, but seeing that these people were willing to face off against this horrible man, gave them the courage to fight with them. They jumped up and summoned their keyblades and ran straight into the fight. Standing perpendicular to the center ground where Warren stood deflecting the attacks wrought upon him by the others. With similar motion, they raised their keyblades to the ground and chanted a spell, speaking in turns to complete it. When they finished their incantation, the performed this intricate pattern with their blades and sunk them into the ground. Time and space stopped. Strings of light and dark coiled around Warren's limbs and pulled him to the ground, holding him there so that he couldn't fight against the attacks. Time started and the three keybladers ran to him and sliced at him while the heartless torn at his flesh, and the dragon reigned magic down upon him. It was obvious that he was taking severe damage, and he was getting angry. There was a screech, and with that, he was gone, leaving an echo behind: "This battle is not yet over, children. I'll be back."

* * *

**GEM: We are still currently working out the issue of Warren's weapon. It confuses even us. Don't worry.**


	24. Hell hath no fury: Part 1

**Hell hath no fury: Part 1**

* * *

The six fighters stood there in the utter silence of the abandoned arena, each panting from the intense strain they had placed on their bodies. "Okay?" Gail got out through her wheezes in an attempt to collect herself. "What the hell is he talking about coming to collect?" she shot a dirty look at Akira and the twins, but mainly at the young heartless. "Some of us are not being honest with the rest of the group and that's just unacceptable." She said harshly while pushing white bangs off of her sweaty brow. "Hey don't be so quick to assume that's what's going on Gail!" Salem said trying to prevent pointing fingers to his fellow companions. "I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for what happened." The blonde tried to smile but you could tell it was forced upon his lips. Even with his attempts of keeping peace you could tell behind his blue green eyes there was suspicion in his soul for the three accused. The twins eyed each other wearily, each seeking the hand of the other for comfort. Akira however wasn't as calm and glared at Gail with intense rage at being singled out. "It's none of your fucking business you piece of shit!" she spat at Gail. "It is my business when you might be working for the Unbirths. If it's true that you're betraying us then I have no choice but take you out." Gail was trying to keep her cool, however her tone held an eerily harshness as she got to the part of having to vanquish Akira. The heartless lunged forward for Gail's neck. "I'd like to see you fucking try!" she shouted, her temper getting the best of her. In an act of defense Gail was already preparing herself to transform into her dragon form to be a better match for the ticked Akira. "That's enough you two." Faylin flashed between the two quarrelling girls and held Akira back, taking in the blow of her impact with his body.

"We aren't human…"Lia started. The tension in the air suddenly broke as everyone stared at the twins in puzzlement, each individual focused on the twins. Loe spoke first, still holding tightly to his sister's hand. "We were created by the Unbirths. In all honesty we are just dolls held together by someone else's soul." "That's why we have keyblades." Lia added, both twins revealing their weapons through a flash of light. "Our souls are from previous keyblade wielders, not our own. We were created to collect hearts for the Unbirths so that they can bring back kingdom hearts and destroy it." "But we didn't want that, so we ran away and stayed in hiding for a long time." "We never thought they would find us" they said together. "But now that they have…." Both of their faces cringed in pain at the thought of their punishment if they were caught. The entire party was speechless at the outburst of honesty. "Don't worry you guys." Salem perked up and wrapped his arm around both twins in an attempt to lighten their depressed expressions. "We'll keep you guy's safe, right guys?" His smile was contagious and Gail chimed in "Yeah of course! You guys were there for us when we needed you most so I don't mind." She said with a smile. "I don't know you guys haven't been the most trust worthy group I've ever seen." Faylin chimed in releasing Akira from his grasp to cross his arms in irritation. "Oh we will be good I promise." Lia stepped out of Salem's arm and looked up at Faylin with earnest morality. "Yeah" Loe said in a sigh as his face blushed and gazed up at the oblivious blonde who was still grinning ear to ear. Faylin gave Salem and Loe a questionable look but continued on anyway. " Alright, but if you slip up in the slightest and I see your doing the group more harm than good that's it your out."

It was then that everyone eyed Akira with perplexity and curiosity. "How do you know Warren?" the twins asked, both poofing in her face. "Yeah you guys seemed pretty 'close'" Gail added, her condescending tone returning as she used air quotes to antagonize further. Akira couldn't stand being put on the spot like this, all of these eyes staring at her and judging her. She felt like a cornered animal. "It's nothing." She stared down at her feet, hoping they would stop, and at the same time trying her best to control her temper. "It's nothing?" Gail was hot on her trail again. "'Nothing' is definitely a kiss! And said he needed an answer from you! What the hell is going on Akira, you're being selfish and stubborn by not telling us and it's putting everyone in danger." "Why the hell do you think I LEFT!" Akira snarled back. Faylin could sense the pain in her tone and tried to put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. But she squirmed out of it; her temper was to out of control to accept comfort from anyone. "I LEFT to KEEP Warren from killing you guys in the process to get to me! I took Salem with me for the time being cause I knew he would only cause trouble for you two and I was gonna drop him off back home as soon as I got the chance." The revelation of Akira's true intentions for Salem shocked him and his face fell in disappointment. "But no you just HAD to come running after us; you just can't leave well enough alone!" Akira shouted as her heartless nature was getting the better of her and her voice changed to a slivery demonic tone. "I bet if it wasn't your mission to take care of Salem you wouldn't have given two shits about him! And you call me selfish, he's your partner and I bet if you had the chance to swap him out you would do it in a heartbeat." She eyed the white hair mage with malice; Gail stared back with shock in her eyes. She couldn't even speak at this point, however it was unclear to whether what Akira was saying was correct, or she was just afraid of Akira to say a thing. "Akira stop it!" Faylin shouted and snatched her shoulders in his large hands and stared at her with an expression she had never seen before. "Stop trying to turn this around on her! Now tell me, who is Warren?"

The poor girl didn't know how to respond. It was a story she didn't expect to have to tell. However the pained and intense look Faylin gave her made it obvious she had no other choice in the matter. She took a deep cleansing breath as she prepared to speak of how it all began, as everyone watched with anticipation. "The day my home world was being destroyed by the heartless, I, my brother, and my lover Warren were trying to save this boy whose leg had gotten stuck in the rubble. They were stronger than I was at the time so I tried to distract the heartless and lead them away from the boy to buy Warren and Leain more time. My plan worked, but then the heartless started to attack me instead...I screamed for Warren to come and save me...I begged as those filthy beasts ripped me to shreds...but he just ran away, dragging my brother alongside him..."she grew silent as her words fell out of her mouth. she had finally told her story to someone, finally someone else knew. And it felt good. Her eyes went from tormented to peaceful as she looked up at Faylin and an intense burn surged in her chest. Not of anger or anything of that nature, but compassion for the one she gazed at fondly. The group stood in shock at the tale, none of which but Faylin could have predicted such a tragedy from her. Faylin looked down at her, misery in his eyes but something else, something Akira couldn't quite put a word to. "Oh Akira.." he held her close. "If I'd have been there I would have saved you.." and it was then that it hit her. The reason she searched for him in Traverse Town, the reason when she heard he of his death she was devastated, the reason she had to protect him. There was love within her empty chest, she could feel the warmth that was always there since she had met the man but never knew why. But now the answer was all so clear to her, now she could finally see it. As the realization of her feelings for the man became clear as did other signs she was previously oblivious to. The reason he seemed so worried about her when they found her chained in the mansion. Why he fought so frantically to try to find her when she left, and why he was fighting so hard now to keep her safe. In those gorgeous ice blue eyes she could see it too, although they had never said a word out loud. Underneath it all they had grown close and possibly even, loved each other.

Tears fell down her cheek as the warm feeling from within combined with the hurt from her past became too overwhelming to keep locked inside. "I know you would have..." she said with a smile that was wet with her weeping. It was as if no one was around anymore, and she felt at complete ease telling exactly how she felt with no fear of anyone else's thoughts or opinions. "I just don't understand how he could do that to me. I loved him so much and yet he left me there to die. I spent days wallowing in that same question...but then I finally met him, at the mansion." Faylin looked down at her with a puzzled expression, and she looked up with intense pain in her eyes "He was the one who had chained me up, who made that deal to me to betray you guys, who is threating to kill my brother. It's all him Faylin, Its Warren." Faylin stood still, rigid as stone as he pondered her words. How cruel it was to torment such a being with things as Warren was doing. It was unfair and unkind to make her relive that pain, and to make it worse. He was a monster. More of a monster than Faylin would ever be. A vein pulsed on his forehead and anger crawled its way across his features. "I'll kill him. I don't care what your excuse is, but I will not let you run free while he is threatening you. We will get your brother, and all will be well."

Salem used Faylin's words as motivation to include himself in the conversation. "Yeah! We are friends now Akira." He put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly "Any problem of yours is a problem of mine, I'll do all that I can to get your brother back. I promise." He winked at the crying girl who was doing her best to suppress her tears and they linked pinkies together. "How cute." Loe whispered, putting his hands on his cheeks and swayed back and forth in an attempt to refrain from pouncing the adorable blonde. His sister merely rolled her eyes and laughed at her impossible brother. "We will help too." Lia said in a calm tone. "It's the least we can do after all the trouble we have caused I suppose." And the two walked over to give her a hug to help cheer her up. Akira giggled a bit, her emotions were getting the best of her at the thrill that so many people wanted to help her. A monster like her, who had friends that were treating her as good as this. However her smile dropped as she looked to the white mage who eyed the scene with an odd expression on her face. There were a lot of questions swirling in Gail's mind as she thought the whole thing over. Based on Akira's performance and reaction she wasn't really the most reliable or trustworthy person Gail could count on. In fact really her opinion hadn't really changed too much since she first met the heartless in twilight town. However the look of joy on her brothers face when they had found her, or even now the determination he had to protect her made her push her own feelings aside. _If he can trust her than I can too_ she thought to herself and then smiled at the young girl. Who technically was taller than her but those were details that didn't matter at the current time. "Alright it sounds like we have a game plan." Gail said as she placed her hands on her hips, "Rescue mission for Akira's brother, now does anyone have any idea of how we can do that?" "We do!" the twins piped up, arms wrapped around the other's waist. "Really? How?" Akira piped up, her early sniffling diminished with a smile of excitement. "Weelllll" Loe began sliding beside Akira to be playful but Lia interjected instead. "Since we are only dolls and not human, we can follow the strings tied by our borrowed souls to where we originated from." "It's how we knew what direction to NOT go to when fleeing from our creators." Loe continued after his sister.

"Woah woah woah, so this whole mission is on the trust that your gonna take us to the right place and not trick us?" Faylin's said "Oh hell no not this again" "Come on Faye, they are the only hope I have in saving my brother." Akira pouted eyeing up at the stubborn man. She was pulling the cute card to get what she wanted, but she didn't care as long as she got her way. His harden expression melted a bit but you could tell by his posture he still wasn't comfortable putting so much faith in the prankster twins. He sighed heavily "alright then…take us there." He said giving up on the futile fight. Akira hugged him tightly and he smiled gently. Salem eyed them oddly at first. Such human behaviors were odd for the two heartless. "Are they dating now?" the blonde whispered to Gail. She rolled her eyes with annoyance "Hell if I know let's just go." She said shortly. "Uh oh looks like someone is green with envy." Salem said sticking his tongue out at her playfully. Just then a fire ball shot out of nowhere and almost hit Salem in the shoulder but he skidded out of the way just in time. "Hey what was that for?" Salem asked now obviously hurt. "Your being stupid again, I'm trying to train you to get you out of that habit." She said winking playfully "Hey it's okay to be jealous, I mean you haven't seen each other in forever and stuff and now he pays more attention to this other girl? I would be upset." His attempts in making her feel better were drastically back fired as three more fire balls were aimed at his head and he narrowly escaped. "Okay okay I'll shut up." The blonde said in retreat. The twins opened a dark portal as Salem and Gail were distracted and began to lead the way. Bit by bit each member of the party followed behind. Each step bringing them closer into enemy territory.

The portal lead them to their destination with great ease and before they knew it they walking on wet concrete. The twins automatically cringed inward as fear became visible on their faces as they stepped into the familiar territory. While everyone else in the party stared in wonder at the exotic world. "There is something about this place that feels….familiar." Akira said as she looked around at the tall buildings and the mix matched sky. All across the world it seemed to be mixed matched of different scenes and scenery. Parts of the world seemed to be pieces of a broken city, others a burnt forest or crippled cottages. The sky up above was equally mix matched. Half of the heavens shown with a beautiful sun that was laced with white puffy clouds. The other half was a beautiful night sky with a full blue moon shining down on the group of visitors. Akira eyed the moon especially as a surge of longing pulled in her chest. Gail and Faylin were also distracted by the worlds make up, and stared particularly at a burnt down house that stood nearby. "The Unbirth made this world out of pieces from the worlds they destroyed. So more than likely these are the last remnants of the places you have lost." Lia said grimly as she continued on her way. "That's so terrible." Salem said sadly. He was the lucky one of the group, he could never understand what it was like to have your home torn to pieces before your eyes and then have the broken pieces be spread out into a make shift world. It hurt to see places that tied to so many memories be treated in such a way. _Its better he doesn't know_ Akira thought to herself as she held back tears. _This is all that is left of Lunar Valley…Ill never see it like it once was….no one deserves to be homeless._ She looked over at the white haired siblings and could tell they were going through the same kind of pain she was experiencing. Akira shook her head and sighed gently, now really wasn't the time for them to mourn. Her brother was in trouble and she needed to continue. "Come on guys." She said grimly, "we need to go." Gail snapped out of her thoughts immediately and nodded her head in agreement; however she had to nudge her brother to break him of his trance. She petted his arm gently to comfort him and the two followed the rest of the group deeper into the Unbirths world. _I'm sorry Faylin I couldn't be the one to comfort you_ she thought to herself as she saw the pain in Faylin's face still linger as they walked on down the narrow street of ruins. Right now she was on a mission; she could see Leain's blank face in her mind as she saw him in the mansion. He needed her and she would do all she could to rescue him.


	25. Hell hath no fury: Part 2

**Hell hath no fury: Part 2**

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"Hey what are you doing here?" The group swiveled around sharply to see that a red headed woman had spotted them. She had long auburn hair that was held up with pigtails, her skin was fair and her eyes a golden color that where round with curiosity. She wore a white suit and had her hands on her hips like a school girl that was kept from a juicy secret. "Oh we are just taking these prisoners to the castle for experimentation is all dearest Lucy." The twins said in unison as they flashed in front of the elder young woman. "I thought you two ran away or something?" the red head said as she raised an eye brow. "But then again I never go to those meetings, they bore me half to death." She said scratching her head with a laugh. The twins giggled innocently along with her and then wrapped their arms around her waist. "Sweet Lucy would you please show us where Leain is being kept?" Lia began as she batted her eyes beautifully. "Warren wanted us to keep them there for the time being." Loe finished as he gave an enchanting smile to his superior. They were obviously tricking the red head into showing them where to go, almost like an unbirth guide. Thankfully the red head was to dimwitted to catch on to the twin's plot. "Ugh Warren." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Ever since they put him in charge he thinks he owns the place. It's so stupid, I mean I've been here for years now, this guy pops up out of nowhere and they give him MY job?" she continued to rant and the Twins listened impatiently as they humored her venting. Akira obviously looked uncomfortable at the mention of Warren so casually but she felt Faylin's hand comfort the small of her back and it helped her to keep her emotions in check. Lucy sighed heavily in defeat as she finished her tirade. "Yeah I'll show you were to go, hell if I can even remember anymore. They put the new girl on duty there, yet ANOTHER job noobs are taking from me. This is why I'll be so glad when we finally get rid of stupid Kingdom hearts, then no one can get their hearts back and I won't have all of these dweebs replacing me." She moped as she walked down the street, leading them to the supposed castle Leain was being held.

The twisted and turned around the deformed world of the Unbirths, all the while Lucy never stopped complaining to the twins. However Akira did her best to block out her annoying wine. She kept her eyes peeled, if someone recognized them that would mean their cover was blown and all hope she held in the salvation of Leain would be gone along with it. "Are you gonna be okay." She shifted her eyes to Salem who had whispered to her casually. "What do you mean?" "I don't know it's just…I don't know what's gonna be in this castle they are leading us to, and I know this is really hard on you so I wanted to make sure you were okay I guess." The blonde was so sweet as he tried to keep a low profile in trying to talk to her. In just the limited amount of time she had known him she had grown to really appreciate Salem. Granted his light was kind of agitating for someone of the dark, but it was so refreshing. Even in situations such as these when the atmosphere could almost choke you with its tension and suspense. "Thanks Salem." She said as she gave him a slight hand hug and released before it raised any suspicions from the red head. "I'll be okay I promise, just stay alert. If things get rough I need you to be at your best." She whispered in a calm command voice. The blonde nodded in understanding and continued to stroll behind their tour guides.

As they continued they came across other Unbirths who had to be the lower cadets. Anybody who had a real position had to of known the trouble the six of them had already caused for the organization. These had to be the goons that did the dirty work for the superiors. "Lucy what are you doing?" A young man gracefully walked up to the group with his hands behind his back. His face had a soft expression on it and like his fellow unbirth he wore an all-white uniform. His deep pink eyes full of curiosity as he glanced at the colorful group behind his red headed comrade. "Wait a second…Loe?" the boy cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow puzzlement. His rosy hair falling gently in his eyes in the process. "Oh my gosh Loe!" The young man's face shown with excitement as he ran towards Loe like a child. "I've missed you so much, where have you been, where did you go, how did you get back?" The pink haired boy talked a million miles per hour as he gazed at Loe adoringly. Loe held the boy's hands casually and winked playfully. "Another time my darling Emery, right now Lia and I are busy taking this group to the castle for experimentation." Emery smiled sweetly and nodded in understanding. "Alright I understand, well meet me in the Library whenever you can okay? I wanna hear all about it." He said gently and kissed the twin on the cheek to later skip away delicately. "That your boyfriend?" Salem asked shortly, narrowing his eyes at Loe in the process. "What Emery? Oh no he's just a sweetie pie who has had a crush on me since he got here, but I could never do the dirty things with him as I want with you." Loe said playfully while wrapping his arms around Salem's neck, winking at the blonde while only being inches away from his face. The girls giggled at the display of homosexuality being pushed upon Salem, and Faylin shielded his eyes in irritation. "You guys coming?" Lucy had already continued to go down the street during this time and was waiting impatiently for the group. "Yes ma'am!" the twins shouted back and had already flashed themselves to the back of the group and began pushing the others forcibly in her direction.

They finally reached the castle everyone had been talking about and like everything else about the world you could tell bits and pieces had to be from other structures of strongholds, however there was one thing even stranger than this. The mix matched fort had no visible door to speak of. Lucy never faltered however and instead of slowing her pace down just continued to walk straight through the wall. The twins continued to push the group onward regardless of their protests and like the red head had done before the group morphed through the concrete and made it inside a lavish waiting room of some sort. Akira and Salem's guard was instantly dropped as they stared in awe at the beautiful paintings decorating the elegantly designed walls, the gorgeous chandeliers that illuminated everything with an enchanting glow, and the magnificent white marble flooring that shown as equally as the rest of the room in beauty. Everyone else however were still up tight as the presence of more Unbirth became overbearing. But luckily for them Lucy had them walk on a platform that sat nearby and once all of the party had a stance on the cobblestone design in the floor, the edges of it began to shine and all of the sudden the stone flooring dropped an inch and then slowly began to descend into the depths of the castle. "Alright I'm going to have to leave after this." Lucy spoke calmly to the twins. "I'm supposed to be on the lookout for suspicious characters and I really need to get back to my post. All you do from here is go down this corridor, take two lefts, and his room is on the right 6 doors down. Here is the key." The red head instructed handing Lia the key. The cobblestone elevator landed gracefully at the bottom floor which seemed to be a labyrinth of the same cobblestone corridors decorated with prison cells and illuminated with torches. "You kids be good okay." She smiled as she began to ascend back to the higher level. Totally oblivious to the treacherous deed she had just committed.

"Salem?" Akira spoke up, her voice echoing off of the damp walls. "Yeah?" "I think I successfully found someone blonder than you and her hair is red." She busted out laughing and Salem glared at her with an irritated look on his face. "Shh Kira or else we are gonna get caught!" The twin's hands were over her mouth in a heartbeat, and her face flushed slightly with embarrassment. They swiftly ran down the corridor, following each instruction carefully that the naïve Lucy gave. Finally they reached the door they sought and Akira jumped up to look through the high iron bars in search for her brother that was meant to behind the wooden door. "Leain! Leain are you in there?" she whispered forcefully "Don't worry we are going to get you out of there!" she continued as Lia fumbled with the key.

"Hey what are you doing here?" Everyone froze as yet again they had been noticed by an Unbirth. They looked over to see that a young woman had been the one to address them. Her hair was long and gracefully framed her beautiful face with dark black locks. Her eyes filled with a dark glare as they glinted a vibrant blue in the torch light. She examined the oddly decorated group carefully and as soon as her eyes fell upon Faylin her entire body tensed up. "You!" She snarled and threw glowing knives from her hands at the white hair man. He swiveled out of the way effortlessly but was soon attacked by the woman like a ravenous beast. "You piece of shit! I'll tear you to pieces after what you did to me!" She screeched as new glowing knives produced in her hands and she swiped at the man's face. Akira then jumped into action and with her heartless speed and strength grabbed the woman by her hips and slung her off of Faylin. Her face scrapping on the stoned wall on the way. Akira ran to Faylin's aid and saw that thankfully there wasn't a single scratch on him, however his face was pale and he look as if he had seen a ghost. In seconds the woman regained her footing and was yet again after the two heartless, mainly focusing on Faylin as her target. However a flash of light irrupted from Gail's hands and before the psycho woman could do anyone any harm Gail cast chains of light to imprison the Unbirth to the wall. She snarled and snapped in a terrifying rage and spit at Gail's face as a way to get back at her for chaining her to a wall. "What happened to you?" Faylin almost whispered, but the sound of his voice was enough to bring everyone's attention to him. His hands shook as he continued. "What happened to you Jessamine?" Her face grew twisted at his question. "Well let's see now, I was brutally murdered, my heart eaten as I lay there dying, by no other than YOU!" the group gasped in surprise, all except Faylin whose pain ridden face only increased as the woman continued. "Thankfully though the Unbirths found my nobody and helped me to get my heart back. So here I am today a full-fledged Unbirth and helping them make the world a better place." She said with a demonic laugh. She enjoyed seeing the man suffer and it began to piss Akira off. "There is nothing good that can come from vanquishing Kingdom Hearts Jessamine." Lia spoke up, Loe finally getting the door to open and scrambling inside to get the boy they had come for during all of the commotion. "Like hell there isn't!" She snarled at the doll. "Without kingdom hearts all of the nobodies and heartless will eventually rot and be gone from this world. We will all finally be free of these monsters." She barked at Faylin, which made him cringe even more.

"He is not a monster!" Akira shouted back, now getting right into the woman's face. "Faylin is the greatest man I have ever met and has a light in him that no monster could ever posses." Akira's temper was rising as she spoke. "Who the hell are YOU to call us monsters, you're the one destroying homes and MAKING more of us!" It was then that Jessamine snapped one of her chains and slapped Akira in the face. The sound echoing all throughout the corridors. "You worthless monster!" She snarled at her and used her now free hand to grab Akira by the hair and began to slam her face into the wall. "Wow you're so stupid! He's got you so blind it's not even funny!" she wailed in wicked laughter as she continued to slam the girls head into the wall. The others too terrified to even move to help Akira. "Are you in love with him little one? Do you honestly think he cares about you?" Akira looked at Faylin who was still in shock of it all and his body shook in remorse as the pain of his past and now present becoming too great. "He doesn't care for no one but himself! He is a monster and deserves to die. Just like you!" Jessamine she growled and released the girl's hair, finally allowing the girl to fall to the ground. Akira landed on the ground with a loud thud, black blood oozing from her forehead. But that was the last thing on her mind, she wanted to be over beside Faylin who looked like a scared child. Salem broke out of his paralyzing fear and summoned his keyblade forth for batter. He ran towards the woman in an attempt to finish her off. However the woman had colossal strength and kicked her leg out which broke yet another set of chains. The poor boy got hammered with a barrage of swift kicks to his gut and was sent flying to the other side of the wall. Loe who had just gotten to the door frame dragging Akira's brother saw the entire thing and dropped the boy to run to the blonde's aid. Jessamine only laughed as she broke the last two of her chains restraining a hand and a leg and summoned her own weapons. Four slim harpoon like lances glowed in her hands. Two for each palm. It was then that Lia summoned her own weapon and took this opportunity to make an attack. But the crazed unbirth saw this coming used her lances to knock the girl's keyblade from her hand and dropped kicked Lia face first to the concrete flooring.

"Lia, no!" Gail shrieked in horror and stopped casting to run to the young girls rescue. The woman laughed at the sight of all the destruction her tiny frame was causing and wiped the sweat from her brow. She then looked over to see her true target and a twisted smile began to form on her dark face. She walked gracefully to Faylin, triumph already written all over her face. "Till death do us part bastard." She said as she raised her lance to the heavens, preparing to strike her weapon straight through the man's skull. However the lance was interrupted half way by an unexpected force. Jessamine glanced over to see Akira holding the lance steady, intense rage painted in her eyes and black blood continued to ooze over her eyebrows. "Big mistake lady." Akira almost whispered through a pant. Her voice however was coated with a demonic tone that only came when the darkness within her was beginning to surge and twist in her small frame. "What the?" was all Jessamine was able to get out as Akira transformed into her heartless form. A dark wind emitting from her heartless body and pushing Jessamine back with just her raw power. Akira put her hand on her bleeding forehead and flung her hand outward in the Unbirths direction. Her black blood hardening in the wind and turning into tiny black spears that were hurdling after the woman. Jessamine raised her lances as a shield but nothing could shield her for what came next. Akira formed a black portal underneath the woman, and Jessamine was dragged down by the darkness like quick sand. She screamed in pure terror and the think blackness carried her deeper into its abyss. Akira laughed at the helpless woman and jumped in after her.

The corridor got very quiet, and Gail and Loe looked at each other in shock and disbelief of the events that just took place. "Is she going to kill her?" Loe asked in a scared tone as he held the blonde close in his arms. "Honestly? I have no idea. Just pull him over here and I'll heal the both of these two as fast as I can. We have to get everybody out of here. Faylin!...Faylin!" but the man stayed unresponsive to his sisters call. His body still shook and his breathing shallow as he continued to have some sort of panic attack. Right as the white mage finished healing their comrades Akira returned through the portal in the floor. Her mouth was covered in red blood and her hand clutched a handful of long silky black hair. She didn't say a word to anyone at this point. She wiped her mouth off with her arm and walked to Faylin. He still continued to shake, as if he didn't even realize that anyone was even there anymore. A tear passed through her emerald eyes as she held Faylin close to her in an attempt to soothe him. The action snapped him out of his trance and he returned the embrace with one of his own. He breathed her in sweetly and kissed her brow where Jessamine had beaten her into the wall. "I'm so sorry." He whispered weakly. "Don't worry about it, let's just get out of here." She said smiling. Akira then swiftly ran to her brother who was still unresponsive on the ground and made a portal. "Let's go Leain" she whispered to him gently. She picked him up and threw him over her shoulder. "Come on guys " And she stumbled into the portal. Gail and Salem soon followed behind her and Faylin was soon about to go after them as well before he was stopped. "The boy isn't real." The twins said in unison. Each holding a grim look on their face. "What do you mean?" Faylin asked back with confusion is his ice blue eye.

"The boy is a doll." Lia said "I could sense it when I touched his skin. I don't know where the real Leain is but that's not him." Loe said. "That because I killed him." The three looked down the corridor to see Warren had heard the commotion and had now found them as well. "You killed him?!" Faylin snarled. "Why of course, it was the only way to show the superiors how devoted I was to the righteous cause. But of course I couldn't tell Akira that now could I? She would have seen me as a monster." He said with a cocky smirk. "Don't you dare even say her name!" Faylin shouted in pure rage. "Go Faylin." The twins said in unison. "We will hold him off until you and the others can escape, otherwise he will be able to track your portal." Faylin couldn't believe what he was hearing "You can't be serious! I won't leave you here with him!" the man growled at the blonde only for Warren to laugh in his face. "It's so funny how you think you can take me! What does Kira see in you I swear." Warren mocked. "Why you…" Faylin went to lunge for the blonde's throat but was stopped half way. "You want to protect her right?" he already knew who the twins were referring to. "y-yes I do. Of course I do!" he answered. "THEN GO!" The twins shouted, knocking the man in the portal and closing it behind him.

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**GEM: From here on out there's gonna be a few multi-part chapters. This is where our story entries became really long and for your convenience, I (Sara) am splitting them apart so you don't die**.


	26. Hidden power

**Salem, Akira, and Gail - Hidden Power**

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With the rush of action that the team underwent as they fell out of the portal, they all landed on top of each other in a giant heap. Gail was the first one out, whipping out with a twirl of air, dragging Salem with her so that Faylin and Akira could comfort each other. "Okay," Salem started, holding his stomach in obvious pain. "You guys have the worst exes ever." Gail helped him down on the ground and he groaned in pain as she laid him flat on his side. There was a leaking gash there, and if not healed quickly, he'd surely perish. She lowered her lips to his wound and blew gently on it, the words of a healing ritual escaping her lips. Salem sighed as the pain let up, and he shakily laughed. "I'm not sure I want to find someone after that experience." He let his head fall with a sickening thud against the dark ground. "Gods," Gail said, brushing his hair out of his eyes, "How do you feel?" "I feel like I just got killed over and over again and that some sick jerk is bringing me back to life to torment me." He shut his eyes in obvious pain, and reached out for Gail's hand. "Don't leave me.." He whimpered. He wasn't trying to be flirtatious, or even to be sweet. Salem was genuinely scared. His team had just been broken down to pieces in a matter of minutes, and there hadn't been a thing one of them could have done about it. Well, maybe Akira. She seemed to be the only level headed one at the current time. She was so brave, throwing herself in front of, oh who was it, Jessamine? Whoever it was, the crazy bitch lady she'd now be dubbed..It was insane that she'd done that! Totally and completely insane! Salem, even though he'd never admit this, would never have been able to do that as she had done in that very moment, and that's what made him weak. That was why he needed to grow stronger. That was why he needed Gail by his side to be his friend and to help him along his path. That's why he needed his friends. "Ughh," he moaned as Gail worked more magic on him. "Stop," he pointed at Faylin who was holding Akira, caressing her face as it bled a steady stream of dark gooping blood. "Help her." He paused, "Hell, help everyone. I've learned some basic cure magic I can work on myself." "But Salem—" she said, weaving her hands through the air, "Just go!" he yelled in pain, sitting up and gasping for air. She'd never heard such fear in his voice, nor the unease of anger that touched it now. She stumbled backwards and slid over to Akira and Faylin, shooting Salem a look of love, care and worry. Akira was holding her palms against a deep gash that lined her forehead, and Faylin was holding her, staring down intently at her as she tried to stop the blood flow. His voice was quieted, barely a whisper, and he was speaking incomprehensibly fast. It seemed as if he were saying Akira's name over and over again, but as his lips moved with the exhaling of words, his eyes were distant and in a faraway place. "Ow, Faylin," Akira sobbed, her eyes watering. "You're hurting me!" she kicked at him with her legs "Let go!" she screamed as Gail reached them. She broke free of his grip and fell backwards, Faylin mimicking her as he fell to the side, his face riddled with shock. The movement of his mouth continued, and Akira shoved away from him, sliding in the dirt and messing her clothes. "God, what the fuck is your problem," Akira rubbed her arms, momentarily forgetting her gash, looking down to see bruises of his hands forming on her pale ivory skin. Gail looked worriedly at her brother, but upon seeing no physical damage, she crawled over to Akira. Akira pushed backwards more, but then stopped, realizing that Gail was going to try and help. "Here," the mage said quietly taking Akira's hands in hers. Gail drew and outline with her pale fingertips in the palm of Akira's hand, kissed it, and pushed Akira's hand to her the gushing wound. Akira's eyes squeezed shut as the wound stung, but she opened them with fresh tears as the pain drifted. "What's wrong with him?" she asked, ignoring Salem's and Gail's growing wounds. "Why is he acting like that?" the tears started to spill over. "I—I don't know," Gail stammered, worrying about her brother. Gail cast a potent curaga spell on Salem, and ventured forward to be next to her brother. "Faylin?" she breathed his name. "Faylin, are you okay?" her long fingers reached out towards him, a gentle motion. But her hand never connected. Faylin lurched up and grabbed her by the wrist and slung her to the side, throwing her into the ground where she collapsed limp. His eyes were savage and his face was full of unknown anger, anger that he'd never displayed to his partners before, especially not his sister. "Hey! Asshole! What the fuck was that!?" Salem yelled at him as Faylin moved in for Akira. "Faylin.." She started, backing up slowly not wanting to fight the man. He lunged for her and knocked her off of her feet, pinning her to the ground with his hands. His lips brushed the side of her neck, fierce, angry. "Faylin," she whimpered. "You're hurting me." He didn't stop. "God! You're hurting me! Get off you stupid asshole!" Akira's darkness expelled from her body and shot up in petrifying waves, slamming into Faylin and causing him to roll off of her. With a startled look of recognition, his eyes widened, and his features went limp. "Akira.." he said, his hand reaching for her, not angry, but longingly. "No! Get away!" she screamed at him, curling up into a ball. "Akira.." he stood up, opened a portal, and vanished into it, the echo of the words, "I'm so sorry," cutting through the air.

Faylin fell out of the portal with a weakened thud; he lay there limp and shaking. What was wrong with him? His mind screamed at him, pleading with him to snap out of it. His body shook with tremors and a cold sweat broke out across his brow, chilling him to his core. He collapsed and lay there, writhing with the ghost of a pain in his chest, gasping for air as he tried to breath. Akira's face blurred behind his eyes, becoming more vivid with the moment. He'd held on to her, he'd hurt her, and he'd frightened her. Fuck, he'd attacked her! He clawed at his hair, wishing that he were able to weep at this very moment. "God, you stupid idiot!" he scolded himself as he shook violently. She'd hate him now for sure, and she'd never be able to trust him. For some reason, that broke something within him. Perhaps the essence of his heart had broken, maybe his soul had split. It was nothing more than he deserved. "What's wrong with me," he groaned, rolling on his side so that he could see the sky, or whatever it was, that was above him. I've attacked everyone I've ever loved; it's all I know how to do! I killed her, and I've harmed Akira. Oh God, and Gail. She'd been unconscious after he'd slung her. What if..What if I've killed my sister! A tear fell from his eye as he mourned the thought. Punching the ground as the fought to stand, he screamed as a man would scream out of frustration, and directed his anger towards the nearest object, which just so happened to be a giant boulder surrounded by dead decaying grass. As Faylin's fists connected with the rock, darkness shot up and out of his arms, and propelled into everything around him, creating dark destructive waves of power; the rock splintered under his hands and shattered as he struck it with ferocious intent. "You," he yelled as he pummeled into the firmly solid stone "Stupid" rocks spewed all around him, tiny pieces finding rest in his pale skin "Fuck up!" he roared, tears streaming from his face. Hating himself was so easy. All that was ever brought about by his presence was terrible, terrible things. Why hadn't Jessamine killed him? Hell, why hadn't they let her? It was what he deserved, and the only way to repay his debt to her, and in such actions against Gail and his newfound love, Akira, how did he ever deserve to live? How could a monster such as he be graced with the opportunity to survive when all he knew how to do was harm? Jessamine had been right about him..She'd always been right.

Gail's body lay limp on the ground, Salem and Akira gathered round her, terrified looks on their faces. "Is—" Salem started, "No! Don't say that!" Akira snarled at him, rolling her gently onto her back so that her tiny lifeless form lay face up to the stars. "No, she's still got a pulse. I can't feel it." Salem cringed at the comment, and stared at Gail shaking her gently. "Wake up, please." "Stop," Akira said, grabbing Salem's hand and pulling it back with her own. "She's not gonna wake up if we don't perform a cure spell, and if we don't do one soon, her life is gonna fade. See here," she pointed towards Gail's temple where a big black bruise was forming at a steady pace "She struck her head and has bleeding on the inside of her skull…" "Oh my God!" The boy moaned, mortified by the idea that his friend was going to die if they didn't do anything. "We don't know any magic that advanced!" The heartless silenced him, deep in thought as she reached into a bag she carried always at her side. "The spell book Faylin gave me." Faylin's name hurt in her mouth, but she continued on. "There has to be something in here," flipping through the pages with desperation, not understanding a single word, she threw the book at Salem and encouraged him for a try. "I can't read anything it says now!" Akira said frustrated. "Odd," the boy said flipping through the pages at a steady pace, "I can read and understand every word." Akira glared at him, but walked over and stood behind him as his eyes lit up with recognition. "This is how she does it..Her magic..It's all so simple now." With a flutter of his eyelashes and a raising of his hand, Gail's body shot straight up into the air and a white light pierced her central body. "Woah," Akira started, only to silence herself as she watched in awe at Salem's new raw power unfolding. With his other hand, he traced symbols of radiating light into the air and flicked the out to Gail's body, to which they seemed to tattoo themselves onto her exposed skin. They glowed faintly, as he began to speak a spell that was in a different language to his normal one. The tattoos lit up with an almost blindingly bright light, and then they were gone, and Gail's body was laying there looking fresh and renewed. The mage shot up, her eyes first scared but soon switching to aware. "There's no way you did that," looking at Salem, she felt her temple. "I was near gone, you couldn't have performed that spell! You don't have the magical training!" she gawked, "I couldn't do that-" "How about a thank you," he interrupted her, smug. "Thanks," she said quietly, looking down at her legs. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." "I don't know about this sap fest, but that was friggin awesome!" Akira said, forgetting the peril that followed them in their tracks. "I wanna learn how to do that!" "You can't," Gail said. "Why the hell not?!" a look of disappointment growing on her face. "Because that's magic only capable of being performed by beings of pure heart." Akira crossed her legs and stuck out her lip in a pout. "Stupid freaking goody goodies." Gail stood, brushing the dirt from her dress. "Where's Faylin?" a question revealing that she honestly had no idea what had happened. "I remember…I remember.." "What?" Salem asked worried. "I don't know. We're missing the twins and Faylin though."

The two exchanged a hesitant worried glance between Gail and each other, and ducked their heads to whisper. "She doesn't remember." "Should we tell her?" "Of course not, she'll freak out and get hurt." "Well, she needs to know something. " "Yeah, but not THAT." "I don't know, Akira." Gail stomped her foot growing impatient "Hey you guys, I can hear you, you know." The two jumped and turned around to face her. "Well, you see," Salem started. "The twins were captured, and Faylin ran off." Pondering the thought, the mage crossed her arm. "Captured? How?! And he ran off! What an idea! Of course he has, he always leaves when we need him." Her face hardened over into an unrecognizable emotion. "When I need him.." she paused, "I'll just track him, no biggy. The twins, however, I need more information." The two explained to her the venture to the Unbirths hideout and all that had occurred, explaining to her in full detail of the occurrences and the fight between them and Jessamine. They told her about how Faylin had kind of gone mad at that point and had left before he did anything stupid, and how the twins had stayed behind so that the group could have a chance of escaping alive. "We're not gonna be able to go back without a guide, and I do believe we're going to need to be a lot stronger in order to face them," Salem bluntly stated. Gail nodded. "Let's focus on Faylin," she started, beginning to weave a tracking spell from the essence of Faylin's soul. "It'll take a moment-Ah, he's..Oh no." "What?" Akira said a little bit too loud. "Oh, no, no, no. That is not good at all." Reaching quickly for Akira's and Salem's hands, she snatched them, jumped into the air, and snapped into her dragon form. She held them close as she protected them with spells and zipped through the air, breaking out of the atmosphere of the unknown world an into the stars.


	27. To give ones soul

**Gail,Salem, Akira, Faylin, and the evil Jessamine!**  
**To give ones soul**

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After what seemed but minutes, they crashed into a dark desolate world, skidding through the grass. It was obvious Gail was concerned because as soon as she gained her footing, she was running at an elevated pace due to magic. "Hey wait up!" Akira called, yanking Salem up ignoring the grass, quickly catching up to Gail as she ran. "What's going on?!" "No time, just run!" Following Faylin's aura, she jumped over rocks and twisted around dead trees, sliding in the mud but never losing her footing. "Gail!" they called after her, but the sounds of their voices was lost to her.

Faylin stood next to the sight of a burnt house, eyes red and scratchy, hands bloody and broken. His body looked as if he'd taken a serious beating, and it looked tired and worn. Beneath his feet were two unmarked graves with tombstones roughly carved. Kneeling beside the tinier one on the right, he took his bloodied hand and started drawing a spell. It wasn't like Faylin to know magic, seeing as how he wasn't much of a magically based fighter. Barely knowing anything past the basic spells Gail used and the own dark magic he possessed, he was shocked when his hands moved on their own, forming a heartless shaped pentagram and seeped blood as he continued writing this unknown magic. "Jessamine," he breathed, finishing what he thought to be a finishing stroke to the spell. With an ear splitting crack, the woman was ripped up from the ground, her dead body soaking up life and morphing into her unbirth self. A scream shot up out of her lungs as her eyes connected with Faylin's. "You bastard!" Jessamine's lances appeared behind her and she sliced the through the air, stopping only so that all four of them surrounded his neck, inches away from ending his life. "Do it..Please.." he begged. Laughing she lowered her weapons. "Why satisfy you when you failed with me? Why when I can just make you suffer?" Her lips were cold against his as she pushed him backwards to the ground, straddling his hips with her thin petite legs as she took her fingers and dug into his flesh, causing blood to seep from the wounds. He didn't fight her, he just held still, preparing himself for her vengeance. She drew back and licked her lips, "There was always a fine taste to you that I just loved." She chuckled evilly. Faylin closed his eyes and exhaled in pain. "Don't." "And why not, sweetheart? Am I not good enough for you? Or has that scum replaced me in your heart? Funny, I think I'll kill her next." His eyes shot open and she saw the weakness that was hidden behind them. "Aha! So it's true. My little Faylin's moved on from me. What a pity. I'd so hoped we could pick up where we last left off." She slammed her fist through his chest cavity passing through bones and coming out the other side. "If you had a heart I'd rip it out and devour it just as you did mine."

Gail finally lost her footing as she fell into a muck of water on the outskirts of a clearing. Drenched and soaked, she could see faintly in the distance her brother. And Jessamine. "No!" she screamed as she saw Jessamine plunge her hand into Faylin, withdrawing it bloody. Akira and Salem came next, Salem oblivious to what was going on, but Akira not. Akira fell into the water and bobbed up; eyes wide like a huntress stalking her prey, ready to lunge. And lunge she did. The two females looked at each other, nodded, and jumped forward, grabbing each other's hand and swiveling into a monster of unique power. It was a long lucid black and purple dragon with razor sharp fangs and needle like claws that brandished the heartless symbol upon its breast. It left behind a trail of sparkling black flame as it zipped towards the woman. Unaware of the danger that was drawing within inches of her, Jessamine laughed as she stared down at Faylin who spurted blood from his lips, slowly losing consciousness. The dragon, catching her in such an off guard state, tore her from his limp body, clutching her between its teeth that were now heavily embedded into her body. She shrieked out in pain, but her pain would know no end. The dragon shook it's head side to side, jerking the woman's body like a lifeless toy, ripping her innards to shreds. It slung her up in the air and caught her with its claws, dragging her to the ground. "Not." "Our." "Faylin." It exhaled with blisteringly hot breath. Jessamine covered her delicate features with her hands and struggled to get away, but the weight of the dragons hand crushing down upon her snapped at her bones and paralyzed her. The dragon breathed dark fire and singed the woman down, but since the woman was an Unbirth, she had extra resistance. But extra resistance was nothing next to the two girl's patience and determination. The Unbirths resistance began to fail, and her skin scorched with the heat of the dark flame. She screeched and fought, but her efforts were futile. She was dying and burning to a crisp, and she'd never be able to hurt Faylin or anyone else again. _Die bitch_, Akira thought as the woman breathed her last fatal breath.

Meanwhile, Salem had run over to Faylin and had begun the healing spell he'd done on Gail. "Wake up you stupid jerk," he muttered as he focused his power into the man. Gail and Akira separated and ran to his side, each grabbing one of his hands. Gail focused her energy on aiding Salem in his spell, increasing its strength tenfold. You could see the wounds begin to cover over, but it was slower than usual. "Ugh!" Akira said as tears started to leak from her eyes, "Don't die on me asshole." The wounds were healing at the pace of drying paint. "It's not working as quickly because he's a heartless, and this is light magic." "Let me try," Akira said as she shoved in-between the two. She gently placed her hands on his wound and focused on it. She'd never done a healing spell before, let alone one of this capacity, and she hoped only that it would work.

Akira focused as best as she could on any magical abilities she contained in her small frame, each passing second she could feel her lover's life force slipping from underneath her hands. She pulled the knowledge from the book that she could remember and began to copy Gail and Salem's technique as they had healed her and the others. However there was no light that came from her hands, no sparkle at the ends of her finger tips, not even a dark version of their cure spells. Tears burned her cheeks as the frustration of her failures ate her alive_. If he dies it's all your fault….you can't save him, you couldn't protect him even if you tried._ She could hear Warren's voice nagging her in the back of her head almost in a whisper. _You will never see your 'beloved' ever again…and then you belong to me._ "No no no no." she whispered aloud trying to escape her inner turmoil, his black blood still pulsating from underneath her hands. "You can't die Faylin…I need you to much…I love you too much…" she said silently to no one but him. "You're not getting anywhere let me do it." Gail said as she went to push Akira out of the way. "NO!" Whatever it was that was inside the young heartless snapped completely as an overwhelming amount of darkness seeped out of Akira's hands and into Faylin's wound. Her eyes were completely black and clouded as the black power that morphed into Faylin's large gash began to sew his skin back together and repair his damaged body.

"No Akira! Don't do that!" Gail shouted as she tried to reach her female companion. But it was like an invisible force field kept Gail and Salem at bay as the transfer continued. "What's going on?" Salem asked as he held Gail close in an attempt to keep her safe from whatever was going on between the two heartless. "She is transferring parts of her being to bring him back. But that's dangerous for someone with no heart. There is not much left to give that won't make her body unstable." "So what does that mean? Is she going to be okay?" Gail's face grew grim as she watched Akira give more and more of herself to revive her brother. All the while watching the girls own life diminish with each ounce of her essence she sacrificed. "It could kill her." She said bluntly to the boy who immediately tensed up with her words. The two watched as Faylin's wounds began to fully close and disappear. The coloring in his pale face return as his normal bodily functions began to operate properly. Akira's face however was slowly losing its luster, and her eyes that were as dark as the blackest abyss were soon hid behind tiring eyelids. It was then out of nowhere Faylin's eyes shot open like he had just awoken from a terrible nightmare. Akira opened her eyes as well, almost as if sensing that he had awakened. Her mouth cornered a tired smile as she dropped her hands to her sides. Immediately stopping the transfer in doing so "Good…your awake…" she said weakly as she gazed down at him. There was a look on her face that neither Salem nor Gail had ever seen on her. Amongst her weary expression held something else, she cared for him deeply. Something that really no one could doubt based on how she acted towards him but this was a gentler display. He shared the expression as he gazed up at her emerald eyes. He caressed her face gently, almost as if he hadn't seen her in years. But then his sweet expression dropped as he noticed the loss of life within her. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked, concern coaxed in his voice as he searched her face for any injuries. "I am now." She said as she gentle brushed his forehead with a kiss and then laid her head peacefully on his chest in a deep slumber.

His arms went around the girl as her body fell limp against him. "Akira?" Desperately looking to his sister and the keyblader for help, his eyes widened with fear as they didn't answer him. Shaking her lightly, he called her name. "Akira come on, wake up." Dark hair fell into her closed eyes, tangling with her long lashes that brushed her pale cheeks. "Come on punk, don't do this. Please? You gotta wake up." No response. Fear bloomed in the cavity of his chest where he could still feel the ache of Jessamine's revenge. "Akira wake up!" the man picked her up in his arms and cradled her close to his body. "Gail, open a portal. Do something! I can feel her life..it's faint..She needs proper medical attention..And I..I don't think you can do it just right." He was losing it, just as he had before. This time, however, there was something different; something desperate. His eyes were full of terrified longing, almost as if he..Loved her and couldn't lose her, like he'd looked as Jessamine before realizing what a monster she was. "Gail!" he was in her face and she could feel the warmth of his breath. "Snap out of it already and do something!" Shaking her head, she glowered up at her brother and opened the portal. Faylin lunged for it, passing into its light without a single care of the damage it would cause him and Akira. Gail grabbed Salem who was staring at the whole process in shock, and ran through it, falling into an empty corridor of light. Gail frantically searched for a world that offered medical magic, pealing through worlds one by one, never satisfied with the results. She could feel Faylin's angst as he clung to Akira's tiny frame and his annoyance as he realized they weren't going anywhere. Her nerves were being torn left and right, and as she looked to the two heartless, she could see that the corridor of light was attacking their beings, sucking away at the darkness as if thirsty for its very life. Faylin was too blinded by his fears to see it draining the life further from Akira. "You moron," she muttered, directing her aim at a tiny chain of islands that were encompassed by water. The four of them zoomed towards it, being tossed through the atmosphere , plunging towards the water. Gail cast a protection to protect them just as she lost consciousness from the differing air levels. Akira fell from Faylin's arms and Gail lost grip of Salem as they shot straight into the water, sinking, sinking, sinking. Darkness engulfed them as the water crashed around them, tossing them around in the violent waves of the tide. Bubbles passed through their lips as the protection spell was bashed against and broken down slowly.

* * *

**GEM: I really hate Jessamine. Really and truly I do. **  
**Shelby set the stage for her insanity, and man, did we run with it.**

**These next few chapters are gonna be a mix of mine and Shelby's work..'Cause when we originally wrote this chapter, it was so choppy, we had to rearrange it for it to make sense. . .**


	28. Heroes of old and new

**Everyone - Heroes of old and new**

* * *

A strong set of hands reached for the two girls and yanked them upwards towards the shore whilst another set of bodies dove for the two males. The girls were dragged onto the rough sand, unconscious and barely breathing. "Pump the water out of those two as we get them!" a young man with spiky hair called to the white haired man. "Shut up, Sora." He said, clearly emphasizing that he knew what to do next. He went for Akira first, since she seemed to be in the worst condition, and began lightly pumping on her chest, lowering his mouth to hers every few pushes to blow air into her lungs. After what seemed like a few minutes, Akira wretched dirty water out of her lungs and choked on air, weakened to near death now. Leaving her as she fell back into unconsciousness seeing that she was breathing, he moved to Gail and started with her, ending up with the same results minutes later. The two males were up and moving, coming to the aid of the girls. "Gail," Salem said, looking back between her and Akira. "Are they gonna be okay?" Gail spat up her insides and rolled around on the ground. "Ughh, that's so gross," she whined with a scratchy voice. "Akira.. Akira..Akira.." Faylin was kneeling over her, scooping her up into his weakened arms, searching for any sign of help. "We've got to find her help!" he started yelling, franticly walking up to the two rescuers. "Please, help us." He asked the white haired man first. "No, you guys need to get out of here and quick." "We can't," Gail started, only to be silenced by man. "There's been a shift in darkness. I can smell it in the air. It started once you guys came tumbling out of the sky." "Aw Riku, man you can't be like that! We've no idea if it's just a coincidence or not." The spikey haired man put his arms behind his head and smiled reassuringly at Faylin. "You can stay with me and the wife till your friend here gets better. She just looks exhausted and needs time to rest and build up her strength is all." He paused, getting serious for a moment. "However, I will need to know why her souls so weakened." Playful again, "But that's a story for another time, come on, follow me." "Sora," Riku protested, lowering his head in a whisper with him. "This is a bad idea..They've got to go." Sora stopped and stared at Riku. "Now, if I'd have listened to instincts when they told me that, you wouldn't be here today." Stunned, Riku shut up, and continued up the path, going farther ahead than Sora.

Salem, coming out of his shock, realized who was leading them to his house. "Excuse me, he started, running to the man's side. "Did you say your name was..Sora?!" Sora chuckled and rubbed his nose. "Sure did kiddo, why?" Salem's eyes lit up with excitement as questions started to spill from his mouth in a fast jumble. "Woah, woah, slow down kid, one at a time." Literally jumping up and down with joy, Salem summoned his own keyblade and displayed it with wonderful glee as he walked alongside the man. "I haven't seen one of those in ages, not apart from mine that is." "That's so cool! You have to tell me everything you know! You have to teach me your magic and your fighting style and how to get the girls and win battles and how you fought off heartless and defeated giant dragons and the organization and Ansem and you have to tell me what kingdom hearts was like. Oh and king Mickey, Gail works for him I think and she's been banished and forced to help me but she's really cool and she's a magician who knows all kinds of spells that kick ass and Faylin is this really scary monster man with no heart but he's not exactly a heartless I don't think because he's too human. It's weird, Akira is the same way and oh my god please teach me how to be just like you! You're my idol." Sora's mouth kind of hung open in a daze as he responded: "Uh, yeah, sure. Lets help your friend first, what did you say your name was again?" "Salem!" the teenager beamed. "Right, Salem, lets help out your friend and then we can work on some stuff, okay?" "Okay! You promise to teach me some moves?!" Rubbing the back of his head, Sora said: "Promise."

They came to the top of a hill and were shocked to see the living quality of the area: on the opposite side of the hill they'd come up, in a little canyon was rows and rows of intertwining houses built of sandstone and covered with slanted brown slabs for roofs. It was a peaceful environment just upon looking at it, but once you looked closer, you could see that there were people mingling and walking around various little stands, purchasing items, chatting up friends, and just being themselves. "Woah, Gail said as they started down the hill. "This place is so beautiful." "Yep, that's our Destiny's Island for you." Sora said, increasing his pace as they turned down various side streets. Eventually, they came upon a small house on the corner of a block that was exactly the same as the rest, but different in various ways with its magical hum and intricate designs carved into the bricks. "Protection and guardian spells," Gail commented. "Crafted by Merlin himself," "You've met Merlin? He trained me for a few months." "A few?" "Yeah, I surpassed him and had to move on." Sora stared at her, shook his head, and opened the door, motioning for them to come in. "Hey Kairi! Can you help me set up the guest rooms?" "Yeah why? Bring home another strandee?" "Kinda," he called back as a startlingly pretty red head ventured into the room, dressed in casual wear and a cooking apron. She aimed a spoon at his face, playfully scolding him. "I'll not have another messed up muddy bedroom, hear me?" her dazzling green eyes turned to face the four. "Oh, goodness, is your friend okay?" she rushed to Faylin and scooped Akira's tiny frame into her arms. "Her skin is blisteringly warm, come with me." She carried the child up two sets of staircases and passed through a blue door decorated with shooting stars. "This used to be Sora's room as a child, she can stay here." She laid Akira into a bed and tucked her in with motherly comfort. "I'll be back in a moment." Kairi rushed out of the room, leaving it awkwardly quiet. "Gail—" Faylin started, reaching for her. "I didn't mean to." "Didn't mean to what, silly? Nothing's your fault. Your ex is just bat crazy." "Wait.." Salem shot him a look that said to shut up and not remind her, and Faylin got the idea. "Yeah, she didn't always use to be that way. She used to be loving and beautiful. She looked a lot like you, only with black hair instead of white. But she changed after I..Well, you know." He sat down on the floor and put his head against the edge of the bed, right next to Akira's hand. "I wish she would have let me die. I can't stand that she's in pain because of me." "Oh stop that," Gail kicked him in the leg. "I'd have killed her if she hadn't of. I'm still going to kill her for what she did, just not as bad." She smiled at him, and in return she got a weak smile back.

"Hey guys." Kairi walked back in the room, holding a bundle of things in her arms. "I need you to leave. Akira's privacy is at risk, and Gail's the only one who can stay." Her eyes narrowed at Faylin jokingly. "That means you too tough guy. Out!" She pointed a finger out the door, and Faylin and Salem trudged out unwillingly. "Now dear, I hear you're a magician of the high court, how about you help me out?" Gail nodded and they went to work on mending Akira's broken soul.

Faylin and Salem sat outside of the door for what seemed to be hours, listening very quietly to the strange sounds that came from behind the blue door. "Do you think she's going to be okay?" Faylin asked the boy, his chest aching for Akira to be okay. "Well damn, if you're asking me, you must be worried!" Salem laughed. "Why do you say that?" "Well, because you don't seem to much like me is all." Turning his head to look at him, Faylin sagged against the door. "It's not because I don't like you, it's because I'm jealous." "Jealous! Right!"" It's true. I'm jealous of you for so much." "Like what?" Salem's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Because you have a heart. You can be close to those you love without having to worry about killing them, and you're alive. You're warm and full of light. Look at me though," he motioned his entire body with his arms. "I'm nothing but a monster full of darkness and destruction. I hurt everyone I care about and love, and I've done so much wrong." His eyes were watering as he made this confession, and his weakness was showing through him. "No no, don't think like that. You're not a bad guy..You can't help..What you are. Or what it does to you." "Yes I can," Faylin said thoughtfully, swiping at his eyes. "I can end my life but I chose not to because I've got so much I want to live for." He stood up. "I want to live because death is a scary thing to relive. Heh, relive death. There's an oxymoron for you."Kairi came out of the room at that point, Gail following. "She's going to be okay, but she's going to sleep for a few days. You've taken a lot from her, but none that she wasn't willing to give. You're lucky she loves you so much." She smiled and trotted off down the stairs, humming quietly to herself. Faylin's pale skin flushed red, and he turned away from the two. "She doesn't love me. No one ever could..Not like that." Gail punched him in the arm "Shut up you big jerk. Of course she does! She wouldn't have done that for you if she didn't." He looked at her with pain in his eyes. He couldn't love again, no matter how much he wanted to. Not with the risk of Akira getting hurt again. "No." he simply said and walked down the steps, leaving Gail and Salem behind.

Gail, being the sass queen she knew she was, stomped her foot and went after Faylin. "How can you not see it?" She snarled at him as he ignored her. "Why would anyone give half of their soul to ANYONE if they didn't love them? That's an ultimate bond, right there. If you disappoint her by shoving down your feelings out of pride and fear, then I will personally kick your ass." He spun on her with an icy glare. "Drop it Gail." "No, I won't! I'm not a child you can boss around anymore." "Everything okay here?" an excited voice said as a girl around Faylin's age popped from around a corner. Gail's mouth fell open as she took in the girl: She was several inches taller than Gail and her skin was an offset tan. Her hair was black and blond and spiked up with a lot of hair gel so that it coolly stood up to the right of her head, and so that various spikes framed her face. Her eyes were the color of liquid gold, and her lips were plump and decorated by a tiny snakebite in the bottom right corner. Her dress was eccentric, but casual. From the bottom up she wore yellow hightops and really short black booty shorts that had a checkered black and yellow belt through them. Above that on her arms she had tons of bracelets and wrists bands. She had a yellow shirt that hung loosely off of her shoulders and on top of that was a black vest that held everything in to place and highlighted just the right curves. She laughed at Gail's expression and looked down at herself self-consciously. "Oh, don't mind me. My name is Blare. I'm the hard asses girl friend." Riku came around then and pulled her into a backwards hug, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Hard ass, huh? At least I'm not a stupid ass." "Luckily, neither am I," she smiled brightly at him. "I'm a smart one." She kissed his cheek and broke free. "I heard we have another keyblader around? Is it true?" "Yep!" Salem clomped down the stairs quickly and ran in front of her "That's me! Are you one too!? That's so cool." She nodded as her keyblade formed in her hands: it was just as eccentric as her. It was long and golden at its center, branching out into white angel wings and one demonic wing at its tip. Its handle was half angel and half demon, and on its chain, the duo wings were spreading out of a golden crown. "Woah, your keyblade is so cool!" Salem praised, summoning his own again to show off. "Yours is cool, too kid. Don't so much worry about the look, but what it does, okay?" she scruffed up his hair. "Now, I need big man here and you little dude to come with me to Sora. He wants to train with you guys." She slapped Riku's arm lovingly "Don't look so glum loser." "You're so cruel to me." He said with a kiss. "Only because you like it." She blew another kiss and skipped out the door.

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**GEM: We figured since Riku never really had anyone in the story (not that we know, remember we only have knowledge of up to the second game / 358 days..) So we made him someone! :D His complete opposite and someone as perky and strong willed, if not more, than his best friend Sora. **

**Blare is also played by me, Sara.**


	29. Monstrous tendencies

**Everyone - Monstrous tendencies **

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The two boys followed Blare out the door, leaving Gail open mouthed in mid rant in front of Riku. She closed her mouth and glared at them as the left. "You know the king." It was a statement, not a question. "Yeah, why?" Riku sat down in a nearby chair and rubbed his eyes. "He helped me through a lot of things a couple of years back. I owe him a lot." He motioned for Gail to take the chair opposite him, and so she did. "Tell me about how he is and what's all going on." Gail looked down in embarrassment, "I don't really know. See, I've not spoken to him in a long while. I was banished." "Banished? What's a kid like you going to do to get banished? You don't look like you could hurt a fly." She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay. Let's just hope you don't annoy me." He smiled at her, liking her cocky ego. "Don't let your ego get the better of you, kid. I did, and I lost myself to the darkness for a long time. If it weren't for Sora's heart and the King helping me along, I might not have ever escaped it." Seeing her look of questioning, he began to tell her the story that she'd long to hear: How Sora had saved the world. Time flew by as Riku told her of their ventures together and apart; of the island being destroyed, of fighting against one another throughout the time because they were on opposite sides. He told her about the princesses of heart and how they played into the story, and he told her of Ansem. He mentioned kingdom hearts, not going into elaborate details about the horrors he faced behind the door, and he told her of how his heart was found within the walls of castle oblivion. He went on to describe each organization member in detail and their weapons and abilities. How hard it was for him to overcome each battle as he moved on up through the castle, barely missing Sora by a few walls at a time. He got to the part where he fought Sora's nobody, Roxas, and how he'd had to turn himself over to darkness and fight his way up to the top of the organizations tower where he was revealed as Riku to Sora and Kairi. Riku continued on for what seemed forever, entirely enthralling Gail's attention as he spoke. "That's..That's so amazing. I never knew the full details of it, just..What had been written." "Written?" he asked. "Yeah, there are archives on your ventures in a library off of corner stone hall in Disney castle. That's why I was banished..For reading them and learning of the darkness within ones heart." Riku snorted. "What a dumb reason to be banished!" Composing himself, he continued "Ah, well, that's just like Mickey for you. He does irrational things, but there's always an intention of good purpose behind it." "Yeah, I suppose. I just miss home. But I've found my brother! So being away from home isn't so hard anymore.." She was rambling about her feelings, and he could tell it. He stood up, patted her on the shoulder, and said: "You'll find out his purpose with time. Just keep on a steady path and don't lose yourself. Be patient and you'll figure it out. I promise, it makes sense in the end." He left her there, sitting all alone, to think with her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Blare had led Salem and Faylin to a fighting pad that was a little ways off of the town. "I'll be observing you guys fight, and Sora will be teaching." She ducked her head in to whisper, "See, I'm better than Sora, but he'll never admit it. So I just get to watch." She winked at Salem and skipped of, plopping down on the ground as Sora beckoned them over. "Sora! I can't wait to learn from you! Teach me everything you know! Please Please Please PLEASEEEEE?!" Salem begged. Sora held up his hands, his eyes closed. "One thing at a time." Faylin shrugged, realizing he wouldn't get much from this, and went over to sit next to Blare to watch. "Not your thing, eh?" "No. Not at all." Sora had Salem doing some basic magic warm ups, breathing in and out and properly holding his stance. "This is harder than it was when I healed Gail," Salem muttered. "Now it's all this and that and blah" He wasn't giving up, just complaining because he wasn't going to be able to do as he wished to do when he wanted to do it. Next, Sora instructed him on different types of spells and movements that were required of spells; Salem took it all in eagerly. Blare and Faylin sat and watched for hours as Sora made Salem do various spells and magic, each increasing in power as he continued on. "So," Blare started, shifting her gaze away from Faylin. "Riku's told me that the King has you on some kind of mission to save the hearts of the world." Faylin laughed in mockery of Gail early. "No, that's Gail and Salem. We're just tagging along." Blare looked at him, confusion. "Okay. So I was thinking.." she paused, looking at him until he looked at her. "Maybe you could use an extra hand? Another keyblader. Someone who's had lots of training and experience. I could help Salem where you guys couldn't. I could teach him magic and fighting moves that are attuned only to a keyblader. I could teach him what Sora can't in the few days you guys are here and what you guys cannot." Faylin's mouth fell open a little bit. "No, it's not up to me. Ask Gail." She crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip. "I'm very much under the impression that you're the leader of the group, not Gail." He laughed at her, "Then you'd be wrong to think my sister would let me call any actual shots." "Well fine then, I'll ask your sister if I can jo-" "If you can what?" Riku said, sitting down beside her. "Nothing." Blare said, a bit too quickly. "No, if you can join what? These lunatics who think they can save the hearts of the world? No. You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here where you're safe." She turned on him, her eyes angry. "Riku, I love you and all, but you're not my father, and you are most certainly not in control of what I do and don't." "If it involves you being safe, then yeah, I am." Sensing the tension between the two, Faylin hopped up, suddenly finding what Sora and Salem were doing way more interesting. He watched the two as they fought about the issue, feeling sorry for Riku; he knew what it was like to want to keep hold of someone and keep them safe. He knew that for he had experienced it with Akira, and Akira with him. They'd both run off on each other because they thought it was the better option, and they'd both been miserably wrong. "I can take care of myself! I've passed the mastery exam with higher marks than you and I will not be badgered to 'do as I'm told,' by you." Blare stood up and stormed off leaving Riku looking stunned. After a moment or two, he stood up as well, and followed after her.

Salem panted from the exertion his body was undergoing. _I_ _won't give up, I won't give up_. He told himself as he fought on with Sora, their keyblades clashing at lightning fast speed as they zipped around the battlefield, shooting magic at each other like professionals. Sora countered his attack and knocked him off of his feet, sending him flying into the grass several feet away. Salem rocked back on his side and groaned. "I'm so tired…" Sora laughed and offered him a hand, pulling him up to his feet. "That's good enough," he smiled. "You're doing great; you'll be a hero in no time." Salem grimaced, rubbing dirt off of his clothes. "If only Phil would see it that way." "Phil? Oh, you've met that old goat. Don't worry, with time you'll get there." He started walking back towards the village, "Come on, and let's see what delicious food my Kairi's got cooked up for us." Salem was so proud of himself for being able to learn as much as he had, and his energy was restored as he trotted alongside Sora, Faylin a couple of feet back. "So Sora," he started "Tell me about yourself, about your adventures, about everything. Are they all true? Did you really kill a giant dragon and a sea monster? Did you destroy organization XIII? Did you did you did you? Can you really summon all powerful spirits to your aid?" Sora facepalmed and looked back at the kid. "Tell you what, if you do really well these next few days with training, I'll tell you all of my secrets, kay?" Salem leaped with joy "Oh gosh, this is all so cool! Thank you thank you thank you" he basically squealed with delight. When they reached the house where they were staying, Faylin skipped out on eating and went straight for Akira's bedside, where he slept on the floor next to the bed, watching over her and protecting her from any harm that might come her way. He hummed a tune that his mother had always sung to him, quietly with a pleasant lull.

Kairi awoke from the loud noise coming from one of the guest bedrooms. She nudge her husband to wake up and help her investigate but the brunette just rolled over and cuddled further into his pillow. "Figures." She whispered "Marry a keyblade master and when you need him he won't wake up." She sighed and built her courage to go through the house on her own to see what the mysterious noise could be. She followed the sound up the stairs, and it eventually lead her to Akira's bed room. _Is there a heartless in there?_ She thought to herself, only to fully grasp the urgency of such a situation and she quickly opened the door. Her motherly instincts kicking in as she readied herself to protect the young girl with all that she had. However there were no black creatures in the room making the noise. Kairi glanced at the young man who was in a deep sleep beside her bed. His brow however as furrowed as if he was displeased by the sound as well but was to asleep to make it stop. Kairi was puzzled, "what on earth?" she whispered but then soon realized just what the sound was. Akira tossed and turned underneath the sheets as if she were being attacked, or perhaps even was the attacker. Kairi went to approach the girl and assist her in her distress but as she walked closer to her she saw that her teeth were barred and she let out a snarl from her tiny frame. The sudden sound startled Kairi and the woman fell on her behind in shock. Faylin jumped from his slumber and immediately looked around for the source of the loud thud. He saw Kairi on the ground and swiftly went over to help her. He didn't say a word to her, only pulled her off the ground and then returned to Akira, holding her hand gently in an attempt to soothe her. He clinched his chest as if there was pain swirling within him and he continued to caress her hand with his own. Akira's growls and monstrous scowl dimmed as the touch of his skin calmed the beast within. Her unconscious tantrum finally quieted, and the young man smiled down at her as he kissed her forehead and lay back down on the floor at her side. Kairi stood in wonder and puzzlement at the scene. The two before her seemed so unhuman to her, their manner, behavior, appearance. Everything was off about them, and yet she dismissed the thought. They were her guest after all and she would treat them as such. So she silently eased out of the bedroom and walked back to her bedroom, where her sleeping husband had already taken over her side of the bed.


	30. In the name of love

**Everyone - In the name of love**

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Day 2

"Can I have pancakes please?" Gail asked patiently awaiting her serving of food. "Bacon all the way!" Salem announced as he shoved his plate in Kairi's path eagerly. However unlike most she was not irritated by the boys bouncy behavior and quickly delivered his request with a smile. "Faylin do you want anything?" Gail asked her brother sweetly. Her voice seemed to knock him out of his train of thought and he merely nodded his head no rather than go through the efforts of talking. She frowned at him "Faylin you NEED to eat, you didn't have any dinner last night and you could use the energy." "I think I've received enough 'energy' the past couple of days thank you." He said coldly, not pointed at her of course but she could tell what was truly bothering him. However before she could persist on her brother there was a slamming of the front door and Riku came storming in on their breakfast. "Where is Sora? Quick, there are heartless and Dusk all over town. We don't have enough guys in the squad to handle it all." Riku said, a tense urgency in his voice. Sora walked into the room rubbing his eyes, obviously just waking up. "Whats going on?" he asked in a yawn. "Come on doofus!" Riku said as he dragged his companion outside. Faylin hot on their heels. Gail and Salem looked at each other with puzzled expressions but then smiled a cocky grin. "Show time?" Salem asked, "Ohh yeah" Gail responded and the two jumped out of their seats to join the fight.

Salem stepped out and on both sides of him were minor heartless, they weren't really harming anyone or anything. They just seemed to be looking for something. However their intents didn't seem to matter to Riku, he just slashed at the dark beings with his legendary weapon Way to Dawn. Salem stared in awe at the legend from his dreams take out the puny heartless and it took Gail hitting him in the back of the head to get him to snap out of it. "Come on stupid I need your help!" she said as she swiped her mini sword at the heartless, she conjured a spell on her weapon that made the blade glow with the power of light. This fatal weakness for the dark beings and at impact the heartless sizzled with the impact of her blade and vanquished into black smoke. Salem summoned his weapon and put into practice everything his teacher Sora had shown the day before. He blasted the beasts with fire spells, and obliterated the occasional nobody with lightning strikes. Gail glanced at him oddly "This is just too weird, I think we just swapped spots." She giggled at the blonde. Salem's eyes grew wide with realization and he joined her soft laughter. "Switch back?" he asked shrugging his shoulders. Just as she sent a dusk flying into a wall behind him with an intense wind spell that caught the blonde off guard. "Yeah that would be nice." She winked at him playfully and the two continued to fight off the heartless and dusk in the small streets of Destiny Island.  
On the opposite end of the street Riku and Sora were taking care of the more advanced heartless and nobodies. Riku would use his dark shield to protect the little town from any incoming attacks and debris, while Sora would slash at the beings to their demise. It was an excellent game plan, just a bit too slow for Faylin. Faylin pivoted around Sora and with his heartless strength and speed eliminated the enemy force with no time to spare. The two best friends stared at Faylin with awe and wonder, however Riku's expression soon turned to one of distrust and confusion. But Faylin didn't stay long enough to be bothered by it, he had to keep Akira safe, and that meant eliminating this threat and preventing these foes from getting any closer to her sleeping body. Faylin leaped from the narrow street to the rooftop. He could sense that there were still a few stragglers but nothing major. What caught his attention was the strong darkness that emitted itself to a small island that sat close to the main islands shore. Faylin darted off to the shore line in search of a boat _If whatever that is gets any closer it could cause serious problems_ as the image of his comrade being severely injured due to such a thing hitting the main land began to motivate his legs to move faster.

"Where the hell is he going?" Riku asked, his tone revealing just how much he was beginning to lose his legendary cool. "If I know my brother there must be something bigger nearby!" Gail announced as she vaporized an approaching heartless solider with a quick flip of her fingertips. "Even bigger?!" Salem spoke with great enthusiasm, but was sadly ignored. "How would he know of something like that before me?" Riku's tone held extreme irritation and hostility that Sora quickly tried to extinguish from within his friend. "Who cares? Let's just go!" and the spikey haired hero then ran off down the street, vanquishing more heartless as he tried to catch up with Faylin's monstrous speed. The two younger warriors quickly followed his lead, leaving Riku in the dust. "This is getting really old fast…" Riku said with bitterness in his voice and he eventually followed the group to the shoreline. They reached the beach with ease and stood in awe at what they saw before them. Off in the distance they saw that a metal armored heartless was wreaking the little island. "We need to get over there NOW!" Sora said, his tone hold a very serious and powerful command as opposed to his normal laid back manner. "Our row boats aren't going to get us there fast enough Sora." Riku said keeping a level head. "Don't worry I've got this." Gail as she raised her hands to the sky. A soft lining began to enclose them like a bubble. "Come in closer please so that this doesn't become any harder than it has to." Gail said with slight irritation in her stance at how slow her group was being. However they speedily moved closer to the center and the bubble was able to fully enclose in the group. She began to speak in ancient tongues, one no one would have been able to interpret. But for whatever it was she had said the bubble began to rise above the white sand and drift in great speeds to the smaller island's shore line.

The party landed on the mysterious island gracefully, and the magic bubble popped upon impact, however the monster they had witnessed before didn't seem to be anywhere around. The damage it had caused was totally fixed, as if the beast had never even set foot on the island before. "Okay I know I didn't imagine that thing on this island, any of you?" Salem was the only one to speak up in the group, everyone else was to mind boggled to even answer the boy's question. The walked closer to the giant tree, that was decorated with stairs, ladders, and bridges for the children who must come here to play. Each holding an expression of puzzlement as they individually searched for signs of the beast. "He's here…" was all Faylin said as a loud bang was heard from behind the group. Large body parts of armor came falling from the heavens, each piece connecting itself together by some kind of invisible force. The monster knight twitched and lurched in front of its foes as it prepared itself for an attack. A preparation that was soon interrupted by a new warrior to the group. All that could be seen was a bright yellowish orange color came darting out of a tree and sliced at the knight heartless. The monster took a few steps back but it wasn't defeated quite yet. "Blare what are you doing here?" Riku's body tensed as he realized it was his beloved who was now in harm's way. "I'm protecting the islands, what are YOU doing?" The girl answered back sarcastically and she began to hammer away at the beasts arm, which held razor sharp like talons at the end that would try to pierce her delicate body whenever she approached. Faylin laughed softly to himself "Just as reckless as she is." He said as he imagined his ebony haired beauty trying to take out the whole heartless by herself. Faylin shook the idea from his head and joined the female keyblader in her efforts. Gail took on the other arm, and sent a furry of ice spells in an attempt to freeze the armor, making the heartless mobility even slower. "Salem! Maneuver 23!" Sora called out to the blonde, and just like in training Salem ran up to the dark knight and slid through the sand in between the beasts legs. "The bigger they are the harder they fall!" he said as he positioned his key blade just right so that it smacked the monsters legs and the heartless tumbled down to the ground with a loud thud. It was like the whole thing had been rehearsed it was so perfect. Now to follow up on the monster's vulnerability the two best friends then pounced at the same time, Sora and Riku fell on top of the monster with one mighty attack that combined both darkness and light from each individual. The impact was too great for the knight and his armor cracked under the sheer force of their might. Just like that the dark knight was vanquished, and with it all of its lower counterparts followed in its demise and vanished.

"What was that about anyway?" Sora asked, his keyblade lighting up in his hand and then vanishing. "I think I have a few ideas." Riku said as he shot Faylin a dirty look and then walked off to one of the spare row boats by the docks. Faylin sneered at him with an irritated glare but he stopped once felt a hand on his arm. "Don't mind him please; he just has trust issues is all." It was Blare who was trying to defend her lover's rude behaviors and quickly changed the subject "You two were great though!" She announced as she smiled proudly. "For a rookie you're not too bad with that keyblade of yours kid, and that magic was pretty intense for a small fry." Sora laughed at her half compliment half insult method, and both youngsters didn't know whether to be offended or appreciated. Blare never seemed to notice however and just continued to talk about fighting styles and tactics with them. "I've never been able to leave the islands before; I've always been around to help Riku on the police force. What's it like out there?" she asked. Faylin smirked as he remembered her wanting to join the group and could tell her secret motivation in bringing this up. She was planning on making the younger ones feel sorry for her lack of adventure and make them want to take her with them. He of course really didn't care either way, and decided to go ahead and head back to check on Kairi and Akira. Sora must have been thinking the same thing, and the two older men left the three behind.

"Oh it's the coolest thing ever!" Salem began, "We've fought monsters, kicked unbirth butt, and me and Akira won the gold match in Olympia Coliseum all by ourselves." He said cheerfully. Gail however wasn't nearly as comfortable talking about such things with a complete stranger but she let them continue. "Akira? Who is that?" Blare asked curiously. "Oh that's right, you weren't around when we first got here. She's our friend, her and Faylin are both Heart…." Gail quickly hushed his mouth with her hand but it was already too late. "They are heartless?" Blare asked now totally enthralled in their conversation. Gail heaved a sigh of defeat and rolled her eyes. "Yes they are but don't worry they wouldn't hurt a fly I promise. They are really good people I promise. You see we got into a battle and Faylin was extremely injured. So for whatever judgment Akira had she gave him part of herself to save his life, but since she already lacks a heart her body is already unstable. That's why she's in this coma…her body is trying to recover for what it lost." Both the blonde and the woman eyed her full of interest and wonder. "How do you know that's what happened?" Salem asked, now fully understand just what it was that went on that day. It had all happened so fast his mind just couldn't grasp it all. "I read a lot of books on the phenomenon." She answered back coolly. "Wow that is so incredible." Blare said in awe. "I've only heard of stuff like that happening when Sora had Kairi's heart within him long ago. But nothing like this happening with heartless, hell I've never seen a heartless care about another human being let alone save one." She thought to herself as she eyed the sky questionably. "There is so much out there we just don't know or understand. Every time we think we get close something new and strange washes up on the shore of our imagination. I mean just yesterday I never thought any of this sort of stuff could happen and yet here you are bringing me proof that other worlds, monsters, human heartless, unbirth. All of this stuff really exists" Gail and Salem both eyed each other curiously, never had they thought about their adventure like this. In a way aside from the hardship they had faced, they really were blessed to have left and seen the things they had. People like Blare never got that opportunity. "….can I join your group?" Blare asked in a pleading tone. She held her hands together in a begging manner and almost whimpered in a way. Salem went to open his mouth in approval but Gail interrupted, "We'll think about it." And she began to walk to the docks with the others. Blare's face fell slightly, but there was still hope, and she held onto it for dear life. "Promise you won't tell the others Akira and Faylin are heartless." Salem said in a whisper. "I don't want them to kick us out when Akira really bad needs a place to stay." "Don't worry I won't say anything, I doubt Sora would kick you guys out but Riku….let's just say that probably wouldn't be a pretty scenario." She smirked as she scratched her head. The boy smiled at her, giving her his full trust. And they ran after the rest of the group that was preparing to leave without them.

Riku stood outside in the midnight air as the rest stayed indoors eating the food Kairi had prepared for the group. It smelt good from where he stood however his thoughts troubled him more than his stomach right now. "What are you doing out here all by yourself mister loner?" Riku recognized that voice immediately and smiled at the man's presence. "Just thinking Sora." "'Bout what?" "Those heartless today. We haven't had an epidemic like that since the islands were first destroyed by the darkness, and it all didn't happen till those people showed up." Riku's eyebrows furrowed at the thought. Since he had returned to the islands he had dedicated himself to the police force. He felt like it was his duty to tend to the home he had once harmed so long ago, and with time he had earned his place as police chief. The one everyone depended on when things got bad. Now it seemed all that he worked for was being threatened by a group of teenagers. "I don't know, I just don't think it's as much of a coincidence as you would like to think." Riku finished as he leaned against the side of the house. Sora sighed heavily "Riku if they were so bad I don't think they would have been so willing to help us defeat the threat ya know?" Sora said as he sat on the porch banner. He gazed up at the stars and thought more on it. "I think there is more to them than meets the eye, that Gail kid is super skilled. Did you SEE that magic she was using? It was more amazing than anything I've seen Merlin do. And Salem is well on his way, annoying as crap sometimes but he has a lot of friends pushing him in the right direction." Riku looked down as he listen to his friend speak. "They aren't the ones I'm worried about." He said coldly, obviously referring to the man of their group with the eye patch. Sora however ignored his companions comment and continued on to the topic that he knew was truly bothering him. "I heard Blare wants to join them." It snapped a chord with Riku. "SHE is not going anywhere you hear me!" his mellow voice now picked up with a slight temper, but it didn't faze the brunet. "Riku, you have to let her follow her heart. You can't keep controlling her actions like this, your only hurting her." "And what if she gets hurt out there Sora and I'm not there for her? What if she needs me and I can't be there? What then Sora? Huh?" His tone had gone off the deep end and it seemed like his voice echoed in the night air. The front door creaked and a pair of liquid gold eyes peered outside at the two. "Is everything okay out here you guys?" It was Blare and Riku automatically felt bad for losing his cool as he had. "It's nothing." He said as he walked in doors to avoid anymore questioning. "Could you here?" Sora asked quietly, never once tearing his face away from the beautiful night sky. "Yeah…" she replied sadly. "He does love you Blare." "I know he does, that's the problem…" she said as she walked indoors quietly leaving the key bearer outside alone. He sighed heavily to himself and said "Some people do crazy things, when their in love…" he said as he slipped off of the banner and followed the rest indoors.


	31. Free for all

**Everyone - Free for all**

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Faylin missed out on dinner again; he remained at Akira's bed side. Her cheeks seemed to have a bit more color in them than before which was a comforting thought. He held her hand tenderly as he watched after her in her deep slumber. "This is all your fault you idiot." He began to down himself again. He couldn't remember much about what had happened when he had those panic attacks, but one image was still clear in his head. The one with Akira cowering in a ball, fearful of him, he didn't deserve to have her with him now. And yet regardless of how he had treated her she still gave everything for him to come back. She still ran after him to save him from Jessamine. He could hear the red headed woman's voice in his head as he replayed the memory in his mind_. __You've taken a lot from her, but none that she wasn't willing to give. You're lucky she loves you so much. _He gazed down at the little girl, such a powerful being and yet at this moment in time? She seemed so small and fragile to the touch. Almost like he was staring at her from before the darkness and touched her pure being. He caressed her cheek gently "Is it true little Akira? Do you love me?" almost to answer his question in her slumber a smile grew on her face, as if she could recognize his voice in her dreams. However that wasn't the weird thing that took place in that room. In his chest he could feel a powerful emotion stirring in his chest, it was warm and he was sure it was love, but not his own. Somehow, within his damaged body he could feel her emotion sizzling underneath his skin. It scared him at first and he let go of Akira's hand to clench his chest. And with the lack of his touch the emotion dimmed and was replaced with a twinge of sadness. Akira's face also displayed this emotion and when he released his touch her smile fell and her brows creased, almost as if she were confused of why he left. _This doesn't make any sense_ he thought to himself, _How is this even possible….unless…oh my god the transfer_ his thoughts panicked as he ran for his sister. Seeking someone who might better understand what was going on within Akira, and himself. Luckily for him she was just about to enter the room as he was about to leave. "Woah are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost." "Umm…yeah I'm all right." She smiled at her brother "Well that's good, now get your ass down here and eat. This is ridiculous, starving yourself isn't gonna help any…" Faylin jumped and threw his hands on her mouth to silence her. "She really loves me!" Gail eyed him like a lunatic and then shoved his hands away from her "Well of course she does, I already told you that stupid." She laughed thinking this was some kind of joke but Faylin's continued to be very serious. "No Gail you don't understand, I mean I can FEEL that she loves me. Something is wrong, I'm feeling things that aren't my own, it's like whatever she feels, I feel it too. What's going on Gail?" her smile drifted into a very serious expression, and then moved to something very grim. "I was afraid something like this was gonna happen. God why did she have to be so stupid." "Don't say that!" Faylin defended her but he was easily ignored. "It's because she gave part of herself to you, this is the repercussions of it." The two got very quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the occasional growl or whimper from Akira. "Has she been doing that often?" Gail asked now eyeing the resting girl curiously. "Every now and again….is there a way to reverse this? I don't care what it does to me but I don't want to hurt her like this." Gail walked over and touched the girl's forehead and immediately her snarls and tantrum kicked up. Gail jumped back to avoid the girls claw like hand and Faylin immediately took her place and caressed her face tenderly "shh shh its okay little one, it's just Gail, I'm right here don't worry." He soothed her with his voice and the once violent heartless calmed to a gentle slumber once again. He smiled sweetly at her as she slept peacefully. "How did you know that's what it was?" Gail asked eyeing the two lover birds oddly. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, I can feel it. I could feel how scared she was so I had to comfort her." The young magician came close once again this time more cautiously than before. She grazed her hands above Akira's body, her eyes and hands glowing a light blue light. "There is a chain coming out of her chest." Gail said in astonishment "What the hell are you talking about?" "Not a visible chain stupid, a spiritual chain connecting her spirit…" Gail followed the chain from Akira's chest and with the power of her spell tracked it to her brother's chest. "You two are bonded." "What does that mean?" "It means I don't know how to undo this, and if you guys want any chance in getting your hearts back? This chain is gonna be a real bitch to get past." She said throwing her arms in the air with irritation. However Faylin's priorities were somewhere else. "The chain isn't hurting her any is it?" he asked almost pleading. Gail was shocked by his question but answered it regardless "Umm, yeah she's fine. But don't be to surprise if she becomes really dependent on you whenever she wakes up…sorry but until I figure out how to undo this bond your just gonna have to suffer through whatever repercussions there are of being bonded. I'm sorry I couldn't do more." She said with sadness in her voice as she continued to feel bad that she couldn't be of more use to her brother. "Hey now don't be like that. I'll be fine I'm not worried about me. My main concern is that everyone else is safe and okay. Speaking of which. How are you feeling?" Gail half smiled and looked at her brother with sadness behind her shared ice blue eyes. "This adventure…it's so much harder than I thought it was gonna be ya know? I'm worried sick about the twins and if they are okay. Scared that the unbirth are gonna find us again. Worried about Akira, and most importantly you. Ever since that thing with Jessamine you've been falling apart. You don't eat, you barely talk, you look a mess…I know all of this stuff has been hard on you too. But we all have to be strong." Faylin avoided her eyes, he had no idea he was causing her so much trouble.

Then almost as if her heart begged for it and her body finally reacted. Gail turned and held her brother close. Compared to him she was so tiny and petite, but she held on fiercely all the same. "I don't want to ever lose you again Faylin, so please, for me, try to pull through this." Tears escaped from her eyes as he held her close and nuzzled his head on her soft white hair. "You're not going to lose me Gail, im here to stay I promise." He said and he held her close. Humming the same tune he had played for Akira during her midnight tantrums. "GAIL! WHERE ARE YOU?!" The siblings could hear the blonde shouting from down stairs. The sound that soon triggered another night tremor from Akira. The two siblings broke from their embrace, each going into the direction they were needed most. "Hey Faylin?" Gail spoke just as she was about to leave the room "hmm?" "…don't blame yourself for everything. You're human just like everybody else and you make mistakes. Accept it rather than kill yourself over it." She smiled and winked at him as she left the room. Leaving him with a new concept to ponder as he stayed by Akira's bedside.

Day 3

"Do you need help with that?" Gail asked as she watched Kairi struggled to put a stack of clean dishes in the cabinet. Salem and Sora both were out training, and Faylin still watched after Akira's condition so it was just the two women tending to the household. The red head glanced over her shoulder her brow arched in confusion. "Wow no one has ever offered to help before, normally it's just me here. Yeah help would be nice." She said with a gentle smile. Gail nodded in approval and merely snapped her fingers in the air. A bright spark ignited in her palm and the spark sprinkled over the kitchen. In minutes the dishes began to float in the air and drift into their designated spots. A rag picked itself up and began to wipe the messy counter clean from the boy's rowdy breakfast. A squirt bottle from beneath the sink pushed its way past the wooden door of the cabinet and began squirting itself onto the glass while a napkin danced in midair to clean the window. Kairi's face lit up in surprise and awe as she watched Gail's magic make her beloved kitchen clean itself. "Oh wow this is so incredible!" her blue eyes glowing as she looked at Gail with an approving nod. "It's one of Merlin's trademark spells." Gail said feeling proud of herself. "I'm just glad I could be of help." "Do you think you could do the rest of the house too?" Kairi said with a laugh. "I don't see why not." Gail smiled happy to help.

But her cleaning session was soon to be interrupted as shouts could be heard outside. "This is absolutely RIDICULOUS Riku! I can take care of myself I don't NEED you to inspect anything!" the voice was so familiar to them both "Who is that?" Gail asked "Sounds like Blare." Kairi looked out her newly cleaned window and saw Riku storming towards their house. His face twisted with fury, and a irritated Blare trying to convince him to stop whatever operation he was on. "Faylin!" Riku's voice could be heard from outside. "Get out here now!" Casual footsteps came down the stairs and Faylin peeked his head into the kitchen? "Is there something serious going on cause if not I'm not going outside." He said coolly. "I don't know, but I'm about to find out." Gail said as she marched outside, quickly followed by Kairi and lazily by Faylin. "Where the hell is your brother?" Riku barked. "It's none of your business, what do you want from him?" Gail snapped back, however was quickly ignored as soon as Riku saw Faylin ease his way out the front door. "You!" he pointed to Faylin making sure there was no confusion in the matter. "You and me right now! Let's go!" he said summoning his Way to Dawn to his hand and prepared his fighting stance. "Babe this is crazy stop it right now!" Blare shot back trying to talk reason with the man, but there was nothing getting through his thick head. "If you're going to leave on this stupid ass mission I have to make sure you're going to be okay. And if this kid can't hold his own against me? You're not going anywhere!" He snapped back, never once dropping his furious stare with Faylin. Faylin however never once grew a temper with the man; in fact he looked rather bored with it all. He sighed and rolled his eyes at Riku. "Someone sure does have a superiority complex." Something snapped in Riku and he went flying towards Faylin in startling speed for someone who still had a heart. Faylin was definitely caught off guard as Riku grabbed him by the base of the neck and slung him over his head and into the brick wall on the other side. It cracked the building and Faylin knocked his head against the brick, spitting out blood in the process of the impact. Riku however wasn't done with him yet. He flashed from Sora's front porch to the boys face, who's mouth had a spat of his black blood for display. "Show some respect for your elders worm." He said coldly as he grabbed Faylin's shoulders and raised his knee to send it crushing into his abdomen. He let out a painful grunt as Riku's knee cracked a rib or two and Faylin fell to his knee, coughing up more of his black oozing blood. "Faylin!" Gail shrieked as she witnessed her beloved brother writhe in pain. It was more than she could stand. Her body ripped and tore as her body transformed into her dragon form, however this version was much different. Since being touched by Akira's darkness from the previous battle, and fused with her own rage and fury. Her normal crystalline dragon form was now more ferocious and frightening. She bellowed a terrible roar that shook the neighboring houses with its power. Riku's face went absolutely pale as he backed away from the man. Kairi and Blare were also equally as frightened, none of the islanders could ever have predicted such a ferocious beast rested with in the delicate and pure girl. Gail snarled and peeled her lips back to reveal a full set of ivory fangs that dangerously threatened Riku if he were to take even an inch closer to her brother. "Shh sister I'm fine don't worry." Faylin soothed as he rose from his defeated kneeling position. "How the hell did you heal so fast? No human could do that even with magic!" Riku said in disbelief. Gail morphed back into her human form and held her brothers arm, concern still written in her face. "I'm no human." He said darkly as he slowly lifted his hand, it grazed the rim of his eye patch and he carefully removed it from his face. A wicked smile grew on his face as he opened his eye to reveal a hideous eyeball underneath. It was complete black all aside from a red iris that seemed to stare into Riku's very soul. _Another repercussion of the transfer, his power and healing ability is twice to any regular heartless_ she thought as she held on to her brothers arm. Almost as if to hold him back from his own dark power that was pulsating underneath his skin. "What the hell?" Riku jumped back as Faylin's red iris disappeared and millions of black tentacle like arms came pouring from the socket. All of which were aimed straight at Riku. Faylin laughed wickedly as he felt power surging in his body and watched the destruction it caused before him. _So much power…I can barely control it…._he thought to himself as his heartless self-began to take full control of his body.

Riku was entangled in the tentacles and they began to raise him off the ground. "Shit he muttered to himself as he becoming restrained by Faylin and his heartless abilities. However he managed to get his arm untangled just in time and he began to start whacking away at the tentacles, chopping them off and watching them dissolve into smoke. He landed on the concrete street and looked up to see that as his sister did, he to begin to transform. Only there was nothing even close to good coming from this monster. The once battered and bruised man was now some kind of demon. His skin hardened and touch like alligator skin. His fingertips were long and sharp like claws, and he held his sword fiercely with one hand. His head and arms were bordered with hard rough horns and spikes. His teeth once human now sharp like fangs and threatening. Finally after being distracted by all of his other nightmarish features Riku finally noticed his eyes. The Left was a deep black that was clouded by darkness, the other shown a bright red, where it seemed to be the fiery core of his dark power. He let out a blood curdling roar and Riku's face officially lost all of its life. Faylin then shook his sisters grip off of his arm and lunged forward towards the man, his speed not quite as fast as before due to the excess armor. However as Riku dodged each attack he could feel the aftershock of each of Faylin's blows through the air between him and his monstrous fists. The wind molecules blown by Faylin's sheer might pushed his body back and made dodging just that much more complicated. It was all he could do to stay on his feet and not be hit by Faylin's blade or demon like claws. However Riku's luck soon ran out as his knife like fingers grazed his arm and five large gouges formed on his arm. "Riku no!" Blare shouted just as an unknown fighter jumped over Riku's head and smacked Faylin in the head with what looked like a keyblade. Faylin wailed in pain as the weapon of light seared his skin, granted the wound healed quickly, but the blow wasn't meant to kill him, it was meant to stop him. Blare looked over to see it had been Salem who had rescued her beloved well before she could have gotten there. "Get out of there Salem you're gonna get hurt!" Gail shouted but Salem never moved. There was a look on his face she had never seen before. He was PISSED and he held his ground against the terrifying Heartless before him.

However the sight of the blonde, and possibly the knock to the head snapped Faylin out of his malicious rampage. His heartless form peeled away off his skin to reveal to the blonde who the man behind the demon's mask truly was. Salem's jaw dropped "Faylin?" "Hey is everything okay?" Sora finally arrived to the scene not too far behind Salem, however slightly more out of breath. "I would have gotten here sooner but I'm not as young as I used to be." He said whipping sweat from his brow. "What's going on here?" Salem spoke, uncertainty and concern echoing in his voice as he stared at Faylin oddly. "Don't worry about it we were just sparring is all." Riku said with a smile, holding his arm to cover the wound. He was obviously trying to cover up the battle to keep the two keybladers from worrying and subconsciously Faylin thanked him. However Salem wasn't buying it, he wasn't going to say anything out loud. But in his sea green eyes Gail could see doubt in his eyes as he looked upon her brother like a monster. He never said anything though and just went inside. "Here let's clean this up." Blare gracefully walked up to Riku and pulled him inside. As they past Riku was sure to give Faylin another dirty look but he didn't respond to it. He was too busy in deep thought to really feel insulted by the injured man. "Hey! Once Riku gets patched up do you two want to come train with me and Salem? You have to see what this kid can do he's come such a long way!" Sora chimed, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. "Yeah he'll go." Gail answered for him, he shot her a look but she ignored him "Sweet all right." Sora said with a smile and took Kairi inside with him.

The two siblings looked at each other carefully. "Why did you tell him I would go?" He said coldly. "Because you need to get out of the house and get accustom to this power Akira gave you. Cause honestly? You scared the shit out of me with all of that." She said insinuating the new heartless form he took. "Yeah me too…so much power but it's so hard to control. I'm starting to see why she has such a hard time keeping her cool and not going overboard…" He said in a serious tone. "Well if there is anyone who can tame the beast it's gonna be you. I have faith in you." She said punching his arm playfully. He smirked "Thanks Gail…for everything." He looked down at her with genuine happiness. "Hey it's no problem bro." She said with a smile. And the two joined the others inside before the guys left for more training and wrestling.

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**GEM: Shelby just had to have a big battle with the two most badass people in the story :P **


	32. Chains of the heart

**Everyone - Chains of the heart**

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After a brief hug between him and his sister that was a bit more heartfelt then he was used to, Faylin shrugged and walked away from the house, leaving only with his thoughts. This new power coursed through his body, leaving him with the jittery feeling that something wasn't quite right. It was like something was stirring, developing..Becoming a fully fledged monster that would take over him and devour him whole. Or at least that's what it felt like to him. He probably was just over exaggerating the situation and the feelings because of his worry for Akira. She'd been asleep for near 4 days now, the 3rd day coming to its close as he walked down the trail. Faylin knew he should be by her side to be there for her when she woke up, but he also knew that Gail was right: Riku wasn't done with him, not by far. His beloved Blare was packing up and leaving him for a bunch of strangers who held promise of a different life filled with adventure, and as it apparently turned out, the old cook didn't want anyone, especially not her, to re-live what him and his friend Sora had already done. As his mind wandered back to Akira's tiny pale frame, weakened and broken in his arms after she'd given him back life, his heart ached, longing for her jade eyes to blink with her thick black lashes. Faylin sniffed, a tear falling from his eye. Catching it with a flash of his hand, he stared. "What the hell," tears began to flow. "Ahh, stop it you big moron. You haven't cried in years." Not knowing why his body was reacting as such his shoulders began to tremble, his knees shaking under him. The man just stood there, dumbfounded at this new revelation; crying was something he'd grown accustomed to NOT doing as he became bitter growing into the man he was. "Get a grip,'' he whined, sitting down on the ground waiting for it to pass. Salem shot down the path, angry and distraught, grumbling as he walked by Faylin, totally ignoring his break down. "Hurry up.. Sora won't like if we're late." He continued down the path with his head lowered and his hands in his pockets. Faylin knew he was upset and angry with him, but he couldn't be bothered by petty interests. He had to remain strong and neutral so that he could stand by Akira and protect her if he needed to—which he was already failing at so far. That performance back there was insane, and if he had been standing on the sidelines of it all, with Gail's new dragon, and his new heartless, he would have freaked out just as the others had. There was something about Akira's power that set her apart from them all…Something more powerful than he, Gail, Salem, and everyone combined. If this power were to be harnessed, who knows what untold destruction would come about by it. It was pure raw dark power that coursed through her, and it was unsettling. He had to find a way to help her control it, else, he feared, it might destroy her as well if she ever figured out how to use it.

Gail set out to find a specific place on the small islands that held the most magical properties. There were questions that needed to be answered, and she could only answer them by diving into to depth of pure essence of the light that kept this island alive. She flew above the clouds as her simpler dragon, weaving her way through the warm misty puffs as she traced out a spell. This spell was no ordinary spell, but one that would pinpoint the heart of the world. To her eyes alone a light purple pattern was being traced in ancient runes; from these runes, a beaming laser light shot straight to a small island off the cost-the one where they'd seen the giant armored heartless. The dragon dove down towards the island in a pillar of light, and as it landed, it morphed back into the pale white haired magician. "Woahh" kids cried out in awe as they backed away from her. "Woopsie" She said holding up her hands, twisting to the left and becoming invisible to them. The children rubbed their eyes and stared, trying to find the dragon girl who'd vanished. Not wanting to disappoint them, the pointed her index finger to the sky and lit it up with magical fireworks. The children cheered and ran towards the shores edge, jumping up and down as they watched. Sighing to herself, Gail set off down the island path, twisting her way around tiny youngsters and dodging balls. She came to a small inlet waterfall that was set into the rocks, and peered over the edge: within the pool were tiny shards of broken shell, and little bitty fish that swam around, fighting against the current created by the falling water. She smiled at the cute fish and stood back up, eyes wandering for her target. Spotting a small opening in the trunk of the giant tree fort, carved into the stone, she walked over to it and got on her hands and knees and crawled into the darkness. "Ugh," she muttered as she could feel the bugs slime their way around her and the spider webs get caught in her hair. Stopping, she lifted her hands and cast a firega spell, shooting out waves of fiery hot air that removed all problems, and even did the job of lighting the place for her. "Two birds with one stone," she said as she crawled through the opening into a large cavern. Upon the walls were drawings that had been done over the years by various kids, and they made Gail smile: She'd always had an appreciation for art, seeing as how it was a form of magic she could never do. Being an artistical magician was one of the highest forms of magic, magic where you could create spells and magic just by the idea of your imagination. She touched the drawings lightly, feeling their rough curvatures. She traced them along the walls until her fingers touched wood.

"Ah, here we are." She placed her hands on the door, kissed it, chanting a soft spell as her lips brushed the wood. She stepped back and knocked 3 times, resulting in the door flying open. From within the door came tentacles of darkness, but as Gail continued her spell, they withdrew on themselves and were replaced with magnificent beams of light that engulfed the entire cavern, shooting out into the island, a bright brilliant light would be visible throughout the entire island chain. She sat down, crossed her legs, and focused on the magical power, calling out to it with her soul. Her eyes opened revealing the same white light that emitted from the doorway. "Merlin," her voice was hallow and distant—almost mystical and scary. "Yen Cid." Their names caused a reaction of white sparks, "I call forth to your guidance and wisdom, please, come forth for I seek your help, as a fellow magician of the lunar court, the subcintust figurea, and by the king's magical bidding." The two wizards blurred into existence in front of her in their formal wizards attire: A pale blue robe garnished with a wizards cap. "Speak, child," they said together. She stood and bowed to them, and they bowed in return. "I need your help, you see. My brother, the heartless one, and a young girl of similar likings, have created between them a linked chain that will hinder them in every way I fear. He's already starting to feel the repercussions, and the power he possesses through this bond is of the purest darkness." Her voice quivered. "I fear..I fear it to be the end of them both, for they cannot re-obtain their hearts if this bond remains." The two elderly wizards stared at her with curious gazes. "I'm afraid there's nothing you can do child," Merlin spoke first, "However," Yen Cid started, "You can weaken it when the time is right." Gail's blank eyes lit up with hope. The wizard touched her forehead with his thumb, pressing in on it. Her body arched as a transcript of information was shot into her held, holding the details of a spell that would weaken the bond, enabling it to break. "When you've reached the door to the light and dark, when the two heartless children can understand the true meaning of what it is to have a heart, then shall the bond be broken, and their hearts returned." With that close, Gail fell backwards on her back, the light draining first from her eyes and then the room. The two wizards vanished with a poof as the door slammed shut. She lay there unconscious and drained from the exertion of the spell she'd just performed.

Faylin had reached the training grounds and had watched as Salem zipped around the battlefield, obviously a much better fighter than he had been 3 days before. He was countering, blocking, and attacking with a new grace, and Faylin was oddly impressed. His offence was as good as his defense, and if he kept it up, he'd surely be able to take anyone who offered a challenge. Within minutes, he had Sora panting and on the ground, hands up in defeat. "I don't have my old touch, it would seem," Sora said as Salem helped him up off the ground. "Nah, don't worry about it. You're an amazing teacher!" Salem had clearly forgotten about Faylin, and was completely enthralled by Sora's presence. Sora smiled at Salem as he stood and messed up his hair. "Good to know I've got guys like you taking charge for me out there." "Yup!" Sora walked to Faylin and stood, looking up to him—he was an inch or so shorter—"Well, whadya say you and me have a go? You haven't done much training since ya got here." Faylin just looked at him like he was a bug in front of him, "Oh come on man, you gotta lighten up! All's gonna be okay," Sora play punched him in the shoulder, and in response, Faylin shrugged. "Okay, let's go." Faylin was in the center field before Sora could even turn, and Sora shrugged at his speed. Sora charged his power and started flying towards him, swiping at him with his blade over and over again, but it seemed as if his blade never made contact, until finally a loud cling rang throughout the air and Sora was knocked back off his feet. Faylin still stood in the same position, but his arm was in front of his face, blocking Sora's strike; his flesh sizzled over as it healed from the attack of the light weapon. "Huh, what's up with your arm man?" Sora asked as his struck out again, only to be blocked by Faylin's scaled arm. "Dunno, just..A trick up my sleeve," Faylin smiled as the man failed yet again. The ground shook and the three of them were knocked on their rears. "Wha-What was that?!" Salem said, eyes wide with fear. A bright light shot up into the sky, illuminating it with all of the vibrant colors of the rainbow and their different variations of shade. "Nothing good," Sora commented as he stood and looked up at the sky. Faylin, however, didn't respond. His eyes had gone blank, and his mouth drooped a little, hanging open in a silent gasp. There was a thudding in his chest, something pulsating with life… It hurt, the feeling, making him roll in pain. Make it stop, his mind cried out. Thump thump. It continued on, spreading sickening pain through his body. Writhing, he screamed in pain, the ache eating away at him. His covered eye throbbed with quick rhythm. "Faylin!" Sora yelled, running over to him, to witness Faylin's last waking moments as his eyes covered with blackness, and he fell into oblivion.

_Akira ran to Faylin, picking him up in her arms as she watched the life fade from him. It was all so real—so painful. Time had seemed to come for a stop as the moments rushed by both quickly and slowly, seemingly going on forever. His eyes were going cold and lifeless and Gail was thrown out of the way, and Akira's own hands plunged down into the gaping hole in his chest. At first she'd struggled to find the power within herself to help him, crying out in frustration at her failure, but it was the idea of failure and loss that had pushed her to do what she had done. Searching within her own aching soul, she found a part of her that she was willing to give up for his life, and so she would. Touching the wound with her pale fingers, the black blood of Faylin staining her skin as she started to work, her life force began to drain into him and heal his wounds with eagerness. She felt the flesh healing and the bones connecting together, building up as she withdrew her hands. Her own body was weakened and tired, barely able to stay with him. She needed to see that it had worked, however, and so she stayed with him till she could no longer. His singular ocean blue eye shot open, completely aware of his surroundings. He'd said something, but his words were at loss to her as she placed a light kiss on his forehead and tumbled back into the sinking darkness. The darkness that surrounded her was full of painful whispers that just seemed to reach out and tear at her lingering soul. They'd whisper to her the nightmares that had haunted her since she'd turn, and the misery that had lived in her life before. They showed her visions of everyone she loved hurting her and betraying her, just as Warren and her brother had, leaving her to die all alone. They showed her Faylin taking his claws and ripping her tiny body apart, Gail setting fire to it, and Salem laughing at her destruction with horrible excitement. "No, no stop!" She'd cry, screaming for help, curling into a ball. She'd growl and hiss and reach for the evils, but they were never tangible to her, and always far out of her reach. "Go away!" they never listened, but her own voice brought her some sick form of comfort. She was alone, and she'd never get out. Hands touched her and grabbed at her and she shrieked at them, trying to attack them, and they let go._

_ Soon after, comfort came with a familiar song, and she'd ease back into her darkness, ignoring the horrible whispers for a moment. There was always a warm feeling in her right hand, and it would come and go within a matter of hours, but it was never far..It made the darkness become bearable with time, and the voices not so bad. There were moments when the whispers would enclose upon her and she'd feel entirely helpless, and others where she could just manage to stand it. What was worse though was that there was this horrible clanking sound that moved around her, like chains being dragged across a floor and rattled—a prisoner walking across a cell. She'd call out, but there was never anyone there. "Faylin," she'd say his name, wishing he could come save her from the dark, and her chest would fill with warmth and tenderness at the thought of him, but it was never long lasting. With time the darkness became a familiarity to her, and she lost all sense of time and all perception of reality. She was fading slowly, and she was okay with that…Till a terribly pain reached through her and yanked her upwards. She'd screamed and flailed against it, but to no avail. It was like being dragged through murky rotten water. Her breath caught in her throat as a light shown through the darkness, growing brighter as she was pulled upwards. She was pulled up through the dark murk, but it had its hold deep in her, sucking her back down as she was beckoned up. Her body was too weak to fight, so she let whatever force would win, win. The light won and sucked her up, breaking the darkness's hold on her._

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**GEM: Because Gail's just that awesome. **


	33. From the dark we wake

**Everyone - Darkness awakening**

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Gail jumped at the sound of the tide, startled. There'd been a shift in the forces, and a storm was coming. She collected herself and brushed off her dress as she crawled back through the tunnel to find that twilight was falling upon the world and that storm clouds were flowing in on the current of the wind, lightning riding them and stringing through them. "Shiiiit," she groaned, whipping into her dragon and shooting for the main island. She soared at a strikingly fast speed, reaching the house they were lodged at within minutes. She fell down into her human and ran into the house, startling Kairi. "Is everything okay?" She asked, out of breath, "Yeah, why?" Kairi asked puzzled. "Just curious," Gail said as she started for Akira's room.

Faylin's body twitched as Sora shook it. "He's..okay..I think," Salem said with worry. Faylin's eyes shot open and he was on his feet in a matter of moments. "She's awake!" he yelled, disregarding the fading pain in his chest. "She's awake, she's awake." He shook Sora and then Salem, letting them go and breaking out in a fast run that was increased by his heartless strength. Sora and Salem stared dumbfounded, and ran after him. Faylin's chest ached to see her beauty full of life, and that was all he longed for. He ran up the small hill to where the town lied, and sprinted for the door, throwing it open.

Akira woke up in a soft bed, her eyes fluttered as she stared up at a ceiling that was bare and white. Her body ached, almost like she had been hit by a train and her eye lids still drooped heavily as fought off exhaustion. But now was not the time to rest, there were too many questions spiraling in her head. _Where am I? How did I get here? How long was I out?...where is Faylin? _The last thing she could remember was his face and touch on her cheek. After that everything went black. She sat up from the bed and looked to examine the mysterious room she was in. There were clothes all over the floor; they seemed to be men's clothing. She lay in a double bed that was well attended to however regardless of the mess on the floor. There was no light in the room other than the amount that flowed through a cracked door. She could hear footsteps and murmurs from the other side and she focused harder to find out more of her surroundings. "It's been three days, do you think she is gonna wake up anytime soon?" It was Gail who had spoken. "There is really no way of knowing sweetie. Hopefully though, if she is as strong willed as you've told us she should be up any day now." There was a second woman, someone unknown and new to Akira. It made the heartless tense up as she swiveled to the side of the bed and her feet touched the wooden flooring. "Just have faith in her and I'm sure it will be fine." The woman finished off. Akira could hear the clicking of dishes. Are they cleaning together? Akira's face cringed in puzzlement as she etched closer to the door, preparing herself for whatever lied behind it.

All of the sudden there was a loud bang of another door, further away in the house. "What's wrong?" the woman from before sounded distressed as she asked. "I don't know, me and Riku were training with Salem and Faylin when all of the sudden Faylin ran back here." There was another man that answered the mysterious woman but this wasn't the sound that disturbed Akira. It was the loud footsteps that rushed up what seemed to be stairs, and were heading right in her direction. "He said something about her being awake…." Was all Akira could hear last from the bottom floor as the bedroom door slammed open. Akira prepared her body for an attack of some sort however the impact she was about to receive was anything but hostile. She was held fiercely but not in any way that would cause pain. "Akira you're okay, I was so worried you wouldn't wake up." Finally a voice she recognized "Faylin!" she cheered and returned his embrace. He released his grip on her only to gaze into her eyes. "How are you feeling? You tossed and turned in your sleep for days." She looked at him puzzled "You watched me sleep?" the man's face flushed a bit "Answer my question first." He said with a smirk, an attempt to hide his own embarrassment. "Honestly I feel like I got hit by a truck, but its way better than how I was earlier. What happened anyway?" Akira asked holding her forehead as she herself tried to remember anything that would help answer any questions. "You passed out after saving my life and then we took you to the nearest world that had the best medical equipment we could find. We've been here in destiny Islands waiting on you to wake up." "Where are the other two?" She asked looking over Faylin's shoulder. "They are down stairs with the others. We found this couple Sora and Kairi and they let us stay here till you woke up. Salem and I have been training with them here and there. They're really good people and were very kind in letting us stay. No one else would." He smirked gently at the thought. He gently tilted her face upward to him and gazed wondrously at her. "Thank you by the way." "For what?" "Giving me a second chance." She smiled tenderly up at him, a warm feeling flowing in her chest. But then another question hit her and the feeling died in seconds. Her face grew hard as she spoke "Where is Leain? Is he okay? What about the twins? They never came back from the portal when we left the unbirth hideout. Are they here?" His face grew grim and he tilted his head down so that his eyes were covered by his white bangs. "That's right, you still don't know." He said shallowly. His earlier excitement now dimed to a depressive tone. "What's wrong? Where is Leain Faylin?" Faylin just stood there silently, unable to give her the answer she sought. Akira's eyes filled with panic as she pushed Faylin out of the way and ran out of the door "Akira wait!" Faylin called after her but she ignored it, she searched the other two rooms upstairs, one being another guest room and the other being a bathroom, no sign of him.

Her pace raced as her fears ran rampaged in her skull. She turned to run down the stairs but Faylin grabbed her before she could continue. "Calm down you're going to scare everybody." He whispered in her ear. She struggled in his embrace, "Where is he Faylin. I have to make sure he's okay!" she shouted back. Now at the bottom of the stairs was an audience of both familiar people and new. But Akira didn't care as she fought with Faylin. He was equally as oblivious to the group down below and his brow furrowed as he began to speak. "He's not real Akira…." The girl stopped her struggle instantly. "what?..." "Warren killed the real Leain, the one you saw was just a puppet to trick you into helping him." Her emerald eyes gazed over with water that began to seep from their ducts. "He's gone….he's really gone…" she whispered silently as she held back the tears that were rebelling against her. Faylin pulled her in and held her tight. Caressing her hair tenderly as a means to comfort her broken soul. "What about the twins?" her voice cracked as she spoke into his clothing. The man sighed, obviously hurting inside having to be the one giving her such terrible news. The last thing he wanted to do was ever hurt her but she needed to know. "They sacrificed themselves by staying behind so Warren couldn't come after us…" her body tensed from his words. "Warren…" she said coldly "It's always Warren…I swear on my life I will kill that mutherfucker with my own two hands." Her hands themselves grew hot as her temper flared. Faylin released his hold on the girl, obviously sensing the change of mood within her. Akira went to go down the stairs, however soon realized that she was being watched by a group of people that eyed her oddly. They were all grown adults, perhaps early twenties. One man had vibrant blue eyes and brown spikey hair. The other man was very muscular and lean; he had silver hair and sea green eyes. The woman that stood behind them had red hair that was shoulder length and held another pair of cerulean eyes.

The three seemed very uncomfortable witnessing the young girl act out as she always did. And Akira had no idea how to respond to their questioning eyes. "Akira your alive!" Salem broke the silence, pushing the three out of the way so he could see her better. A warm smile grew on his face and he ran up the wooden stairs to hug her. She smiled awkwardly in his embrace but let him hold her. "It's about time." Akira looked down to see Gail was there too. Granted she had heard her voice before but seeing her was much better. The two gazed at one another, both having a new found respect for the other. "Sorry I kept you waiting so long." Akira chuckled. "What you did? Was absolutely stupid." Gail responded crossing her arms in irritation. The air grew tense as everyone waited for a response from Akira but she truthfully didn't know what to say. "But I'm glad you did it." Gail finished with a smile and gracefully walked up to hug her as well. It was the first time Gail had ever really shown a positive emotion towards her and it kind of startled her. But hey it was a start in the right direction she supposed. She returned the hug just as she had done with Salem.

"Well looky there I'm glad everything worked out." The spikey haired brunet said with a laugh. His hand behind his head in a casual laid back grin. Akira eyed him oddly and Salem noticed her odd expression. "Oh yeah that's right you haven't been introduced. This is the most famous hero of them all." Salem said throwing his hands toward the man in excitement. His blue green eyes shining with joy, "This is Sora, the one who has saved our worlds so many times its crazy!" The man blushed a bit "I told you it wasn't that big of a deal." Sora smirked. "I was just doing what anyone would have done and nothing more." He said with a smile. "Are you kidding? You're a legend, and this is his friend Riku who is just as awesome!" The silver man nodded and raised his hand in acknowledgement. His face never faltered and he showed no other emotion except a calm expression. "And this over here is Kairi." Salem said pointing to the young woman with red hair. "She is a princess of heart and is Sora's wife and mother to be." Akira's eyes grew wide with shock; she didn't even look like there was another person growing inside her. She couldn't be too far along if that were the case. The woman blushed innocently and Sora pulled her in for a playful hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Well it's very nice meeting you all." Akira said shyly. "Nice meeting you too." Sora said holding out his hand to shake hers "You should leave now…" Riku interrupted as he gave her a cold look and left the room. Akira's eyes grew wide with shock as her chest heaved with hurt from his words. Faylin could sense this within her and instantly spoke up for her. "Don't talk to her like that!" Faylin's sharing the same amount of coldness in his own eyes as he followed the silver haired man. "Look." Riku swiveled around was face to face with Faylin. "I've been really patient with you people. But being head captain of the police force here in Destiny Islands I can't allow you to stay here any longer. Your presence has brought all sort of heartless and nobodies in the area and I can't afford anyone on the islands to get hurt because you are still here." Riku's voice was harsh and cold as he explained. "Come on Riku it's not their fault. There is no way of knowing that they are the reason the heartless count has increased." Sora was now in the room trying to convince his friend to calm down. But that wouldn't work so easily for Riku "They have to be the reason. Salem and Gail can stay if they want but that girl and Faylin need to get out now. They're darkness is drawing them here, I can smell it from here." Riku gave Faylin a dirty look. And it was beginning to enrage him even more. "And what if we don't." Faylin's tone was cruel and harsh. "Then I will make you leave." Both men were about the same height. And their faces were so close that a penny would be the only thing that could be put between them, the space of their bodies was so small. "Come on guys calm down." Sora was doing his best to keep the peace but the tension was already too thick to break. "Let's just go Faylin…" Akira spoke in a defeated whisper. It snapped Faylin out of his stare down and he gazed at her with worry in his face. "I don't wanna cause anybody any trouble. Let's just go…" she said. She looked over at Kairi, whom she had only just met. "Thank you so much for your hospitality. I didn't mean to be such a burden." She said sadly as she shook the woman's hand. "You were no trouble at all Akira, I'm just glad to see you're finally okay." She said with a sad smile of her own. "b-b-but….I don't wanna leave." Salem said with distress in his voice. Akira laughed at the boy gently. "Well you can stay if you want but I'm not waiting on your ass." She smirked as she playfully punched his shoulder. "awweee" he said with a heavy sigh. "Fine I'll go too…" Akira lifted up her hand to make a dark portal before them that would lead them out of the house. Salem dragged his feet as he entered the portal. "You guys coming?" Akira asked. Both siblings didn't like how easily she was just leaving without fighting for her own case but both shrugged it off. "Goodbye you guys. Thank you so much for your kindness." Gail said as she bowed humbly at the group. Sora sighed heavily "I wish you guys didn't have to go so soon…" he was acting just like the young blonde, like a child who wasn't getting their way. "No Akira is probably right. We have some friends of ours we have to find." Faylin said as he gently tugged on Gail's hand to bring her to the portal. The brunets face light up "Oh well in that case then I wish you guys luck in finding them. Never give up, you'll find them I promise." He said with a wink and waved them off on their journey. Riku never said another word but his face had lightened up a bit from before. Like he was almost sad that they did have to leave in a way. The group walked out of the room through the portal and there was an eerie silence in the room.

"I'm gonna miss them." Kairi said as she leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. "I think the only real reason Riku wanted them to leave was because Faylin almost kicked his ass." Sora chuckled as he scratched his head in amusement. The silver haired man eyed him coldly. "Shut up Sora." And Riku left the house, most likely going on patrol again. "That Salem was something else too." Kairi said with a wink. "Oh my gosh he wouldn't leave me alone! He followed me everywhere asking me all of these questions." The brunet whined. Kairi only laughed. "That's funny, he reminded me a lot of how you were when we were kids." She said with a laugh. "Besides didn't you always want a fan?" Sora was obviously being out smarted by his beloved, something that happened quite frequently in their relationship. "Yeah I guess so." Sora said with a smirk. "And what about Gail? Did she give you any trouble here at the house?" Kairi eyed him with shock. "oh my gosh no that girl was an angel. She used her magic to do the cleaning so I didn't have to do anything all day." She said with a giggle. "sooo she made you lazy I see!" Sora said as he began to tickle her sides playfully. Kairi's laughter filled the household as she tried to push him back. "Stop it or I'm not cooking tonight!" she yelled back amongst her giggles and Sora immediately stopped perusing her. Kairi laughed at her lover tenderly and immediately wrapped her arms around the man. He returned the gesture and held her passionately. "I kinda agree with Riku though…"Kairi spoke up from their hug, her tone more serious now. "Something was off about the other two. It kinda bothered me that Faylin never really talked, and did you see his get up? Talk about scary. Oh and the girl that they brought? All throughout the night all she would do was snarl and growl in her sleep. Like some kind of heartless." Sora tensed up as she spoke, the two remained quiet as he thought of what she had said, but then he smiled genuinely at her. "I'm sure everything was fine, I mean Riku was consumed by the darkness, but look how he turned out in the end. And I'm sure if the girl was some kind of monster then why would they bother to find her medical help ya know?" Kairi looked up in awe at her husband, she hadn't thought if it like that before. "I'm sure she was fine, maybe just a nightmare or something. You worry too much Kairi." He said gently and kissed her on the forehead. "Yeah, maybe your right." She smiled back.


	34. Intertwined darkness

**Everyone - Intertwined darkness**

* * *

Faylin held Akira's hand as they stepped out of the portal with the group in front of Riku and Blare's home. It wasn't much like Sora's and Kairi's home, but it was lovely in its own way. Blare was sitting on the front porch, her keyblade swung over her shoulders, and a bag attached to her back. "Ready when you guys are," she smirked as her tan skin glowed in the fading sun. Lightning struck the island off in the distance and the group cringed. "It's a bad storm…" Salem commented. "It's not a storm," the mage said. "Yeah, it's a heartless attack." Faylin continued. "Well lookey there, we get to start our adventure early!" The new keyblader said with excitement, dropping her bags and making a mock fighting stance. Akira's laugh boomed. "God," Faylin whispered to her. "What?" "Nothing, just your laugh…I love it." She cocked an eyebrow and shrugged at him. "Lesssgooo guys" Salem said, charging towards the direction of the fight. "Oi, hold up a second," he was snatched up by a wind and blown back next to Gail. "We fly." Her dangerous two headed crystalline dragon erupted from her body and roared as its eyes glowed blue. "Fuck, I'm never gonna get used to this." Blare said sarcastically as they all hopped on Gail's back. The dragon shot up in the air and zoomed towards the eye of the storm.

The group came colliding down with the ground, each landing in a pose that said they were ready to take on whatever evil force was about to come at them. They waited in eerie silence, watching as the storm clouds began to twist in a cylindrical patter, growing darker as they collided with each other, twisting faster as the time went by. "Guys," Faylin started, swiping his sword in front of his body, "Get ready-" a lightning strike of blue fire shot down from the center of the clouds and struck the sandy beach, blowing everyone off of their feet. A hysterical laugh rang out through the air as a blond man stepped out of the flames dragging two people at his sides: Warren, and the twins. He tossed their bodies down and looked slyly from Faylin to Akira. "Hello darlings," he started, withdrawing from back strap his ray gun, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "I'm here for you, just like I said I would be." He cocked his gun back over his shoulder and left it there. "What'd you do to the twins!?" Gail screamed wanting to run to them. "Oh nothing, just made them into the lifeless dolls they really are. Don't worry, they're perfectly fine though gorgeous." He kicked Lia in the side, and she didn't even react. "Stop it!" Salem called, reaching his hands out as if he could grab them. The fire in the crater faded as Warren took another step, revealing a hole of frosted cracked glass. "see now, you all have thoroughly pissed me off, and I don't like it, one bit." Another step. "I'm going to destroy every single one of you, besides the ones I can take for further experimentation." His eyes fell on Gail, Faylin, and Akira. "As for the rest of you wannabes, you're mine." The twins stood up, summoning their keyblades. "Oh my god," Gail whispered, seeing their eyes. "Look at their eyes! There's nothing there!" The twins eyes were hallow and white, showing no emotion, no sense of recognition, nothing. Their faces were peaked and blank. "They don't even know us," Faylin said, lowering his weapon. "That's right!" Warren laughed manically, as the twins prepared themselves to lunge; "They're unknowing of anything right now, except for my command and my authority." He pulled his gun back into his arms and aimed "Lia! Loe! GO!"

The twins shot forward attacking Blare and Salem, who fiercely blocked their attacks as Warren shot his darkness beam at the rest of them. Gail swept her hands down and brought upon them a shield that knocked back Warren and sent his laser at a different angle. Akira and Faylin were twitching as they shifted to their heartless forms. "There's..something..not..right," Faylin whispered to Akira with a strained voice as his skin bubbled and blistered with dark goop as he made the change. There was a savage anger burning within his core and he just wanted to lash out at everything and destroy and take everyones hearts for his own. His claws extended from his fingers, ripping at the bones. His teeth grew down to be almost 8 inches, spiking their way out of his growing jaws. His eyes turned a fiery red tinted with black as his back arched up and transformed into spikes and armored black skin. Within his chest was a gaping hole in the shape of a heart that dripped with black acid that burned the ground. He let out a roar and lunged over Gail's shield. Akira had noticed the same thing as Faylin, but instead of becoming enraged and hungry as she did when she turned into her heartless, she felt calm, cool, and collected. Battle tactic ran through her mind and she could predict everyone's moves as she looked around. Her heartless form was even stranger than Faylin's. She turned into a tall dark monster than shrieked of dangerous grace. Her claws ere a venomous green and her teeth were spiked into horrible fangs that could rip your flesh apart within seconds. She watched as Faylin lunged for Warren, and cried out with a monstrous roar as the man went down. Warren lit up Faylin with his weapon as Faylin dodged and parried, knocking the man off of his feet and ripping at his clothes and body as Warren backed up and shot at him. Faylin was sent flying off of his feet as the laser ripped into him and burnt through his flesh, immobilizing him as he fell to the ground. Everyone stopped moving. "Faylin!" Gail cried, running towards him but being knocked back by Lia. "Faylin!" She screamed, trying to get up to him as Warren fired the laser multiple times into his crippled body, making it shake up and down with the force and the pressure. Faylin was getting pummeled and as a result, Akira reacted.

The heartless ran and lunged for Warren, knocking him off of his feet and landing on top of him, straddling him as the unbirth stared up at her in disbelief. He pointed his gun in her face, but she would not have it. She ripped it from his hands with her fangs and started to let into him, ripping into his skin and tearing chunks out of him as the two fell into a dark portal that formed right beneath them, leaving Warren shrieking in pain as she did so. Faylin lay there, still as a stone, as the twins continued against the rest of the team. Blare and Salem were being rushed at constantly and Gail was knocking the twins aside with magic, not having the focus to do any serious damage. "Rrgh," Blare said as she swept her keyblade, it colliding underneath her as Loe Slid in for an attack. His face was completely emotionless as he kickflipped off of her face, knocking her to the ground. "Blare!" Gail twisted her fingers and shot a restraining spell on Loe that locked him in place with crushing waves of light, as she ran to the fallens side. She lifted Blare up and asked her if she was okay, to which Blare nodded. Salem had Lia crawling on the ground as Lia blocked his bashing attacks. Salem lit up and shot forward, ramming her with a speed that knocked her out cold. Gail snapped her fingers and the twins were snatched up into the air and bound together by light. Finally able to focus, Gail slid over to Faylin's side, watching as he faded back into his human form. "God, you're so reckless, why did you-" She stopped, her eyes narrowing as his hand grabbed hers, a look of hunger in his eyes. "Don't," he snarled, tightening his eyes. "There's something wrong with me. I don't know what it is but it's this horrible anger that's inside my chest." Gail stared down at him, flinching at the pain in her wrist. "Faylin, let go. It's Akira, it's her lack of control eating at you. It's the bond." Faylin didn't let go but he relaxed a bit as he tried to calm himself. His breath was heavy. "Where's Akira?"

Akira fell onto of Warren as he shrieked in fear of her raw power. "Baby, don't do this!" he screeched as she bit him and dug her claws into him, knowing exactly the weak points she wanted to go for: His heart, and his soul. "You'll be mine!" she shrieked into his ear and she dove in with her hands ripping at his chest. The pain he had caused her was too much to bear, and she was losing her cool, her senses went from collected to on a rampage and all she knew was anger and pain to what he had done to her. How dare he leave her behind to die. How dare he take away Leain. How dare he threatened the ones she loved and take them away from her?! Who did he think he was?! What right did he have to her life when he'd thrown it away and spit on her. His body was going limp beneath her fingers and she could feel the life fading from him. Ha, he didn't have a chance. His entirety was hers for the devouring. Oh how sweet would revenge be to take out upon this monstrous man. She broke through the cage of his ribs, and stopped, taken aback by what she saw. There was no heart, nothing. It was hollow and empty, and the man gurgled and spurted out blood as he smiled up at her. "I was wrong, my dear." His last words were drowned by the blood that filled his throat and spilled over his lips. She picked up the limp body in her hands and examined it. It was a doll. The real Warren was dead, gone to everything around them. She chuckled and let out a crazy laugh as she threw him into the cascading darkness that surrounded them. Opening a portal, she turned back into a human and stepped through.

Faylin was struggling to regain his cool, and he could feel as the anger faded, slowly slipping into nothingness. He opened his eyes and placed a hand over his wound, looking for his sister to begin healing him. She nodded and put her hands on the wound and cast a spell that stringed together his injuries and left him whole again. He sat up and looked around for Akira. "Where is she?" "I don't kn—" A portal opened and Akira stumbled out of it "Guys, I don't feel so good," she started as she held herself up with her hands on her knees. "I feel—I feel like I'm" she looked up and her eyes were pitch black. She went for Gail, but was knocked out of place by Faylin. He held her down, restraining her with his brute strength. "Akira, Akira!" She screeched out and kicked, shifting between her heartless and her human. "Let, me, go!" She took Faylins arms and slung them aside. He grabbed her foot as she lunged away and pulled her towards him, looking at Gail "Get out of here!" She nodded and gathered everyone else in a wisp of light, disappearing from sight. Faylin pulled Akira to him and held her close, wrapping his arms and his legs around her torso, keeping into place. She quit struggling after a while and stopped fighting. "Why does it hurt, Faylin? Why do I feel this way?" Faylin turned her around in his arms and looked down at her. "I don't know, Akira. I don't." She sagged against him and somehow their lips had met. It was a hesitant kiss at first, but soon it branched out into a stronger, deeper one of hunger. They stayed like that for a few moments until Faylin broke away. "Well now," he chuckled lightly, "That was interesting." Akira's face flushed a hot red and she jumped away from him. "I—I um." Faylin smiled at her lazily "Well you were trying to kill my sister, I tackled you to the ground, and then we somehow started kissing." She staggered over her words. "Don't take it so casually!" she said, hands covering her lips. "I didn't feel right! I don't know what happened!" Faylin pulled her down so that she was sitting in front of her. "Okay, so when you gave me part of yourself, we became bonded." He pointed back and forth from their chests. "There's a magical chain linking us." "What?!" "Yeah, my first thoughts too. It creates a bond so powerful that we feed off of each other's strength, know each other's emotions, feel physical pain when the other does, and so many things I don't even know." He paused, letting her take it all in. "Gail's working on a way to break it.." "Why?" "Because as long as we remain chained, we can't obtain our hearts." Before Akira could respond, a wisp of air circulated around the twins and sucked them into a portal of blackness. Faylin jumped up to reach for them, but was too late. "Goddamnit." He cursed, punching the nearest rock. "Well, before anything else weird happens, lets get back to the others. " Akira nodded. He opened up a portal to where Gail would be waiting for him , took Akira's hand, and pulled her through with him.

* * *

**GEM: Warren himself is a doll. What does this mean for the Unbirth leaders? What is their motive? **


	35. Into the night

**Everyone - Into the night**

* * *

Faylin followed his sister's aura through the dark abyss and eventually two heartless walked into a strange new world. The moon was full and eerie as it sat above in the midnight sky. The ground was bitter and lifeless as the grass crunched beneath their feet. All around were jack o lanterns that stared with mischievous grins and scattered tombstones amongst the courtyard. "There you guys are!" the two heartless turned around to see the trio atop a hill that somehow was defying the laws of nature and had a curve within it. It was Blare who had spoken, only you wouldn't have been able to tell under normal circumstances. Similar to the bizarre world they were in the trio's wardrobe had changed into a more spooky attire. Salem's canine teeth were slightly sharper and larger, his hands and feet were both exposed and carrying large tuffs of blonde fur and were very claw like. Atop his head he bore canine ears as well and a tail to complete the set. His green wife beater now a brown loose shirt with a darker brown vest over top and baggy cargo pants underneath. Gail's normal white dress was transformed into a witchy black outfit that came with a matching hat and everything. Blare to their surprise had a hole in her chest the shape of a heart. In between her shoulder blades a wind up key stabbed in her back. Her pants now were baggy and red with gold trim. Her upper body held a crimson vest with balloon sleeves and a black bra underneath.

"What are you guys wearing?" Akira said muffling her laughter as she pulled Salem's tail. The blonde gave her a dirty look "Ouch! This is our disguise so no one can tell we are from another world!" Akira eyed him oddly "Why does it matter?" "Because for the safety of all worlds the secret must be kept or else utter chaos will erupt." Gail interrupted while pushing her witchy hat up off her brow. "Okay and where exactly are we?" Faylin asked, obviously to just his sibling. "This was the closest world I could find that was far enough away from the islands." She answered. "It's Halloween town!" Blare joined in. "I can tell by the stories Sora and Riku have told me." She said with a goofy grin equally shared by Salem who was also beginning to recognize this world as well. Amongst their distraction Gail snapped her fingers and the two heartless received a disguise as well. Faylin's outfit changed and morphed until he looked like a fiercely dark pirate. His right hand had a claw like glove on it, his previous chains and metal now morphed into skull ridden pieces of armor and a belt that was hidden away by a dark petty coat that was black and embroidered along the border with gold. His pirate like hat was equally ebony and along the crease was a silver skull. A long white feather protruded from it and it stopped about to his waist. And amongst all of this change his signature eye patch stayed put on his demonic eye.

Akira however took a different type of transformation. Her ivory glow dimed to a pale grey and out of her skull ripped black boney horns that curled around the side of her head. Her hands became claw like, quite similar to the green claws of her heartless form, and her feet transformed into hawk like talons, as bat wings tore from her back side. Her purple dress now a purple tube top and her black combat boots back leather capris with baby spikes along the seams and held in place by a chain belt. The buckle baring the symbol of the heartless. Her emerald eyes glowing in in the moonlight after the transformation became complete.

"Woah…" Gail said as she looked up to see her creations. The heartless glanced at one another and smiled. "Ahoy mate." Akira said with a wink. Faylin also eyed her with interest "What do we have here? Are you gonna eat my heart AND drag me to hell?" he said with a smirk "Too funny captain Moore. When do we set sail, or perhaps it would be best if we walked the plank." She laughed at the joke and was accompanied by the group's giggles. Faylin rolled his eyes, "oh and like you guys look less ridiculous…Blare what are you anyway? A wanna be heartless?" The attention was the immediately transferred from him to the highly decorated Blare. Her face dropped with shock. "Wanna be? I'm obviously not even a heartless of any kind. I'm a….a…wind up doll." She said with uncertainty "Wind up doll with a huge hole in her chest? If my parents bought you I'd ask for a refund." Akira chimed in with her cruel wit just as sharp as ever. Blare's face turned red with anger and was about to say something in return to the little devil but was interrupted. "What's that?" The group followed Salem's finger to what looked to be a walking bathtub carrying three children through a crack in the cobblestone wall. "What the hell? Was that thing walking by itself?" Blare scratched her head in puzzlement and disbelief as she spoke. "I don't know, but I wanna find out. Come on guys!" Gail the witch said as she pulled a broom stick out of her hat and sat on it gracefully. Hovering over towards the crack like exit to pursue the strange walking tub they had just witnessed. The group began to follow her wearily; still unsure of what new surprise could also be lurking behind any pumpkin or tombstone. As they walked Akira had a tight grip on Faylin's petty coat and her face was covered with uncertainty. Gail's words rang in Faylin's head sweetly as he remembered what she had told him _"__But don't be to surprise if she becomes really dependent on you whenever she wakes up" _This must be what she meant, Faylin thought to himself. He could pick of traces of fear from the young girl. The bond was taking its tole on her in a more subconscious way, she felt vulnerable, and exposed to the world around her. Faylin snatched her hand from his petty coat and held it gently in his hand. Her attention snapped from a broken tombstone to his face instantly. He smiled down at her "it's okay you don't have to be scared." "I'm not scared!" she said as her infamous pride kicked in instantly and she pulled her hand away in an attempt to look tougher. He merely rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. Regardless of whether she wanted to admit it or not he knew that he was helping her and that's all that mattered.

Salem approached the crack in the wall first as Gail waited patiently beside it for her group to catch up. He took a step through the wall and immediately started spitting and throwing his hands in the air. "What's wrong with you?" Blare asked trying to hold back her laughter. "I walked into a spider web." He said sticking his tongue out in disgust. "You okay?" Gail asked as she used her broom stick to fly over the wall to avoid the same fate. "Yeah I'll be fine…wait why didn't you warn me about the spider web? You were over here long enough to see for yourself!" he said putting his werewolf hands on his hips and a look of irritation flashed on his face. "What's the point in being a witch in this world if I can't cause a little mischief?" She said with a giggle. "I'm pretty sure you were like this before we came here. Don't blame the world for your natural cruelty." Faylin said teasing his little sister as he crawled through the now cleaned crack. "Hey!" she retorted back but was quickly shushed. Akira like Gail flew over the wall and the demon heartless now had her claw like hand over Gail's mouth. "Would you keep your voice down? This is a new world and anything could happen. So I would rather you NOT draw attention to us please." She removed her hand to reveal a fired up Gail. "Who are you to tell me what to do!" and as her voice rang in the cobble stone corridor, the hideous gargoyles that bordered the passageway started to move. The sound of stone grinding on stone sent chills down their backs as each stiff gargoyle faced the group with a menacing glare. In a synchronized motion the statues stopped, and with slight hesitation all busted open at the same time to reveal unbirth hidden underneath. The creatures looked very similar to the gargoyles before them. Their skin ridged as stone, however their body motions very fluid. Their eye sockets were bare, all except for a smoky darkness rolling from them. They had hands that were long and sharp, and hind legs that were equally so. And to make the creature complete somehow, each one bore the symbol of the Unbirth on their chest.

Blare was the first to react to the new threat even though she was the last to tumble out of the hole in the wall. She brought forth her blade with a brilliant light and slashed at one gargoyle with intense force. The beast was sent flying to the other end of the corridor and a loud smack was heard of stone hitting stone. Salem followed behind her, only instead of using his keyblade. He Experimented with his new werewolf strength and speed and snatched the head of a nearby unbirth and swung it around with intense power. He then threw the beast in the same direction of Blare's gargoyle and the two sandwiched into the wall, making the new crack in the stone a bit deeper. Akira summoned her blades to her side and flew low to the ground. She used her weapons to slice at the Unbirths legs and two of her victims came crashing down as a result. Faylin swooped out of nowhere and used his sword to crush one into tiny chunks and pieces with just one hit. Gail used her upper view of the battle field to eliminate the other one with a simple water spell that crushed the gargoyles body and like its counterpart, was reduced to nothing but crumbled pieces.

"What was that?" the group looked up to see that the mysterious tub that was carrying the children had stopped right at the top of a stairwell with an open iron gate at the top. It was then that a little witch popped out of the tub and looked around searching for the source of all the commotion. Unlike Gail's witch hat hers wasn't as big and was a shade of purple. Her face was shielded by a green Halloween mask that frowned at them. "I didn't hear anything…" another little head popped out curiously. This time it was a little boy and he too wore a mask. Only it was a devil's face with a creepy grin to match bitty glowing eyes peering through the eye holes. His red hair poked out of the top of the mask and was parted like devil horns. "Look look! Over there!" a third child popped out and like the devil he was also male. However his costumed consisted of being a skeleton and his mask had a bit more character in it. What with the yellow rotting teeth to add effect to a rotting corpse costume. The skeleton pointed down to the young teenagers as they stood surround in the rubble and debris of the brief battle. The devil and witch both leaned over the side to get a better look at the group down below. "Who are they?" the devil asked his voice very nasally. "I don't know but do you see what they did to the beautiful statues?" the witchly girl said in response. Her voice equally as obnoxious as she stared in disbelief. "Let's get out of here before we're next!" The skeleton boy said underneath his mask and almost instinctively the tub marched in a scurried pace through the Iron Gate.

"Come on guys we have to catch up!" Salem shouted as he darted up three stairs before eventually realizing he wasn't being followed. He turned around to look at his companions with confusion "Are you guys coming?" "To be honest? I feel like we need to split up." Blare said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "What? We can't do that! There are unbirth around, we NEED to stay together." Akira spoke up as her talons touched ground, her mouth dropped even from the thought of it all. "Look, we haven't even been here two seconds and we are already scaring the locals. If we want to keep a low profile we need smaller groups." The group grew silent as a skin biting gust of wind blew through them. "We will split up…" Faylin spoke in a commanding tone. "Gail Salem and Blare follow the children up that way. Akira and I will try to learn more about the unbirth here and how they got here." "Switch me with Salem." Akira said as her eyes darted to the ground to avoid Faylin's face. "What? Why?" the boys said in perfect unison. Faylin sensed an odd emotion within her but whatever it was, was shoved to the back before he could figure it out. Her head snapped up and she smiled gently "Because I wanna spend time with just the girls for once." Gail and Blare giggled at her response "That's cool with me." Gail said, still hovering a few feet off the ground on her magic broom stick. Faylin sighed heavily as if irritated with the whole thing, and Salem didn't seem very happy about the situation either. "Fine whatever, let's go then." The wolf boy said as he stormed off in the other direction of the passageway. "See you guys later!" Blare said as she skipped up the stairs in pursuit of the children. "You guys be careful." Gail said ensuing after the doll like woman. Akira went to follow the girls as well but a hand held her shoulder in place. "Are you okay?" Faylin said as he looked down at the girl, his eyebrows furrowed yet again from worry for the child. She sighed heavily "Yes I'm fine; I'm not a little kid you know. You don't have to treat me like I can't handle myself." She said as she pulled her shoulder away from him. "You know that's not what I meant." He said with irritation in his voice. "I'm just worried about you, you've been through a lot and I don't want anything bad to happen to you." He seemed so sincere as he spoke that Akira's chest tightened a bit with a warm sensation. But she quickly shook it off. "Faylin, I think we have all been through a lot. There is more to this group than just me ya know? I'll be fine, but you might wanna go check on Salem." She said as she looked over the pirates shoulder to see Salem quickly getting irritated in trying to find a door of some kind. "He's normally not this testy; something's gotta be eating at him. Maybe you can talk to him and see what's up." She said as she began to walk up the stairs. Faylin turned to see Salem touching each brick at a time in search of some secret passageway. But his impatience was getting the better of him and with a snarl he kicked the stone wall. Only to back away holding his leg in pain. Faylin shook his head and rolled his eyes.

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**GEM: Teenage angst. Gotta love/hate it.**


	36. Left alone

**Everyone - Left alone**

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Faylin walked over casually to the young man and jumped up on a casket that sat for what seemed for decorative purposes at the end of the corridor. "You need some help?" he said with a chuckle at the werewolf still clutching his bruised leg. The blonde quickly however regained a manly pose "Psh nope I'll get it." His voice held tension in it that Faylin had never once heard in the cheerful blonde before. Faylin fought for words to say to end the silence between them but his efforts weren't working out nearly as well as he was hoping. "Move." Salem said bluntly, Faylin jumped at the command but did as he was told and got off of the casket. Salem then smacked the roof of the corpse bed and the lid snapped to pieces underneath his keyblade to reveal a hidden stairwell. "Umm is destroying public property such a great idea?" Faylin asked as he looked down the unwelcoming steps. "psh you would know a lot about that now wouldn't you." The boy said as he began to descend down the stairs fearlessly. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "Just forget it; I don't wanna talk about it." However Salem's path was soon blocked as Faylin flashed in front of him. "Do you have a problem with me or something?" Faylin said, keeping a calm tone but the irritation in his face made it clear he wasn't playing around with the keyblader. Salem's sea green eyes grew wide with shock at the sudden outburst but were soon replaced with a stone like expression. "Maybe not with YOU, but that monster you've got stored in there." He said as he stabbed Faylin's chest aggressively. "Don't talk about things you don't understand boy." The stairwell grew extremely eerily as Faylin looked down at Salem. Almost towering over the young man in both height and power. A fire erupted into a roar from within Salem's already kindled spirit. "I don't understand?" He said as he pushed Faylin down a few stairs with a strength only possessed by one of the supernatural werewolf. His voice snarled as he spoke "I understand that when we first met you had a sense of honor, dignity, and I don't know…Justice about you. Even though you were a heartless there was good in you. You saved me and Gail from the unbirth when you didn't have to. You showed me there was good even in the darkest places. It's what kept Akira from killing innocent people and being consumed in her own darkness, that I know for sure by how she looked up to you. Even back at Twilight Town she followed your every step….but that guy back at the Islands? The one that attacked Riku with no mercy or regard for life? That wasn't the guy I looked up to as an equal. That was a heartless." "You don't know what all was going on you have no right to just assume!" Faylin fired back. The fire behind Salem's eyes simmered down, and he spoke with an unnervingly coldness in his voice. "That may be true. But I'm here to protect the people I care about. And if you give me reason to believe you're a threat? I won't hesitate to strike you down." He walked past Faylin casually.

Faylin took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. Ever since the bond he was having a harder time controlling his temper. A repercussion he would overcome, but that's not what was troubling him. Akira had been right, Salem was harboring a lot of anger towards him and maybe even more. Just like the rest of them he had seen and been through things that a 15 year old didn't deserve to experience. It was all too soon for him, and he didn't know how else to deal with these new emotions and fears spiraling in his head. He needed the extra hand, he needed Gail, Blare, Akira…even Faylin to steer him right. And losing control in front of the developing blonde wasn't the best way of doing that. Faylin had let him down along with everyone else, and he didn't realize just how much the group depended on him till Salem lashed out as he had. Blares words truly hit him as the memory came to his mind_: I'm very much under the impression that you're the leader of the group, not Gail…._Faylin shook his head and chuckled at himself. "I've got a lot of work to do." He said to himself. "What was that?" Salem said as he turned to Faylin, almost expecting the man to start something. But Faylin only smiled at the blonde. "I've got a lot of work to do in earning your faith back again." Salem's eyes grew wide with shock but was unable to respond to the comment, for Faylin had already walked past him now and opened the door to a new opening in this mysterious world.

The Iron Gate shrieked with pain as Blare pushed it open for the three of them. "Do you have any idea where they even went?" Blare asked as she eased her way through the doorway cautiously. Gail swiveled underneath the older woman's arm thanks to her small stature and began to lead the way. "Well I'm sure not too far, I mean honestly? How fast can a walking tub really get with three kids inside? Plus the fact that the legs themselves are so small in comparison." Blare's eyes widen with realization of Gail's logic "You raise a good point." She said with a chuckle. Akira's talons made a lurid clicking noise as she tried to catch up with the other two. "Would you keep it down Ms. Pigeon legs?" Blare said with a giggle as she teased the youngest of their group. "Hey it's not my fault." She said in a hushed tone, an attempt to make up for the noise her new anatomy was making. "Here just sit with me." Gail said as she sat upon her broom and used her magic to levitate the heartless on the broom with her. At first Akira fought off the magic, not liking not being in control of the situation. But once she sat upon the wooden means of transportation, her violent instinct dimed and she smiled at her female companions. "Thanks Gail, and even though yeah I could probably fly on my own." She pointed to the bat wings behind her that were now like the talons, a part of her genetic makeup. "But being lazy is cool too." She said with a giggle. "Hey I wanna be lazy too!" Blare whined from the ground. "Your already missing your chest cavity as it is, you're not carrying any extra wait like she is." Gail teased as she stuck her tongue out at the keyblader. "Yeah plus I'm younger than you so I'm not as strong." "You're a heartless though! You have double the amount of strength of me or Gail." Blare teased as she tugged gently on Akira's dangling leg. Akira went to give Blare a witty comeback but was quickly hushed by the white witch. The two instantly froze up as Gail hoped off her broom and looked around the corner to scan the area.

She thought she heard a voice but that notion seemed to be incorrect as she peered out into an empty square. The buildings all around were dark and gloomy like the rest of the world however their structure was almost, corrupt. Like darkness itself made the constructions twisted with fear. In the center of the plaza was a fountain; however the water glimmered with a shade of green that could only be replicated by slime. And in the center was a gruesome statue of a monster coming out of the murky water. The overall aura of the scene was frightening all together, however in a mischievous way. Similar to the feeling of watching a horror film and getting scared, yet enjoying the surprise and tension of the overall experience. Gail stepped out behind the corner and gracefully walked out into the center of the plaza. "Huh, I guess I was just imagining things." She said as she turned to face the other two. However their faces where white with fright and words were unable to pass through their frozen lips. "What?" Gail asked as she looked at them oddly, there was no one behind them causing this weird behavior. And there was no one in the plaza to speak of. It was then that she felt a cold breath of air on the neck of her naked skin. The witch slowly turned around to see skeleton staring her down maliciously. His grin stretched all the way across his face and his empty eye sockets were completely black and petrifying to look at. The skinned corpse had to be 7ft tall and wore a black suit to cover his skinny lanky body. Gail's breath caught in her chest as she tried to let out a scream but nothing came out. Her heart was racing at the sight and as her body shook with frights her vision darkened, and the poor girl lost consciousness right there in front of this terrifying creature before her.

"GAIL!" The girls said in unison as they watched their friend begin to descend. However right before she touched the ground the skeleton man stretched out his boney hand and grabbed her in midair "Woah now!" He said as he pulled her up. "Didn't mean to frighten her that badly." He chuckled as he help up the young witch by the shoulders. Her head drooped from slumber and her hat fell from her head gracefully. Blare summoned her keyblade and Akira snatched Gail from the corpse's grasp. However the man didn't seem threatened by the acts at all "I don't believe I've seen you three before. Welcome to Halloween Town, my name is Jack Skellington." He stepped out of the fountain and bowed gracefully before them. The reaction caught the two off guard; however Blare lowered her weapon slightly regardless of her own uncertainties. "Umm, hi…my name is Blare." She looked over at Akira "These are my friends, Akira and Gail." Jack looked down at the unconscious girl and held her hand. " I am so terribly sorry Akira for frightening you so bad." He said with deep concern in his boney structure. "Uh that's Gail, I'M Akira." She said with a smirk. Jack looked up sheepishly, "My bad…well did you guys come here to see the Halloween celebration here in Town?" He said, his grin taking up his whole face yet again, but more like a child at Christmas type of smile. The girls looked at one another, both beging for the other to know what to say to him. "Uh, yeah sure." Akira whispered uncomfortably. "Oh well that's too bad because we just finished an hour ago." "Aw man." Blare crossed her arms in disappointment and her keyblade vanished in a flash of light. "Oh a keyblade? I have a friend who uses one of those as well. A chap by the name of Sora, perhaps you have heard of him?" Blare laughed, "Of course I do, and he is one of my very close friends." Her teeth gleamed as she smiled. "Is that so? Well any friend of Sora's is a friend of mine. Anything you need you just ask." "Umm how about a place to put her." Gail was beginning to slip in Akira's arms. "Why of course! I was about to head to the doctor's anyway. I'm sure he has a place to set her." He said as he picked Gail up out of Akira's arms and began to lead the way. "If you were on the way to his house what were you doing in the fountain?" Blare asked. "The best time to do some high quality scaring is when its least expected. And what better time to do that than the day after Halloween." He said with a smile and continued to lead the small group to this mysterious doctor's house.

"Dr. Finklestein! Are you home?" Jack said as he shouted into the dark laboratory like house. The sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the bare walls. "Confound it….Yes Jack I'm here!" a grumpy old man shouted. The voice sounded like it came from upstairs so the group followed it in search of the doctor. Jack eased the door open with his leg "Everything okay in here doctor?" "No! I broke another beaker. Where that is blasted Sally I swear, she was supposed to find me some new glasses after those hoodlums crushed mine. Kids these days, simply no respect I tell you!" The group entered the room and to Blare and Akira's surprise the Dr. was even more creepy looking than Jack. The man was small in stature and sat in a wheel chair. His head was huge in comparison to the rest of his body and had bolts around it, as if his head were like a hatch to his brain. His eyes were tiny and black, and his mouth almost beak like. He work a lab coat and black gloves and was zooming around the lab to find materials to pick up the broken glass. "I'm sorry to hear that doctor but we kinda have a situation on our hands. This young girl needs a place to rest. Do you have a place she could stay for the time being?" Jack asked kindly. However Finklestein was still in a foul mood "Just set her down anywhere that won't be in my way." He said and swiveled around in his electric wheel chair back to whatever chemical experimentation he was conducting. Jack gently laid the sleeping Gail on a metal lab table where he hoped would be out of the way of him and went straight to business. "So I'm starting to plan a new Halloween for next year." "But Jack we go through this every year." The old man grumbled. "And every year it's missing something. I need something that will really curdle some blood. Chill bones to the core. Rid the skin with goose bumps!" he said getting motivated by his own words, but then slumped in depression. "But every year is lacking….perhaps I'm really not meant to be pumpkin king."

The Dr. swiveled back around to face the disheartened Jack. "That is absolutely absurd and you know it!" the old man punched the arm of his chair in outrage. "There is no one in this entire town that could be a better Pumpkin King than you and you know it. If you wanna find new things to use for Halloween instead of mopping why not check out Boogie's old place? I'm sure since no one has been there in years there would be some nasty cobwebs and old belongings from that nasty bag of bugs you could use." Jack's face instantly lightened up "That's a brilliant idea! Come on girls to Boogies lair!" Jack said as he darted off. However, similar to how Salem had done before. Jack scurried back to find out why the two weren't following him. He thought his exit was spectacular for them to anyway. However, both girls stood near their sleeping friend almost out of protection. Thankfully Jack picked up on their unspoken reasons for not being as gun hoe as he and said "Don't worry you two, the doctor will keep an eye on her I promise." He said crossing his heart with his long boney finger. The two glanced at the oddly shaped doctor and the old professor wasn't even paying attention to them anymore and was back to work at his lab table with his chemicals. "It doesn't look like he's going to be moving much more from that spot." Akira said unconvinced. "Yeah but have you seen this place? The old guy lives in pretty much complete solitude. Who is going to come and hurt her ya know?" she said comforting. Akira got a sick feeling in her stomach but assumed it was just her protective instincts kicking in. After all Blare made a valid point. So the heartless nodded her head in approval and the three were off on a mission to find spooky things for Jacks big Halloween plan.

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**GEM: I really hate what comes next. **


	37. Shadows

**Everyone - Shadows**

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As the two men searched high and low amongst the bizarre and scary world they came across a clear opening with nothing but a large tree in the middle. However like the rest of the world it was twisted and bare the limbs stretched out towards the night sky like claw like hands. All except for the make shift housing and bridges attached to it gave the tree and feel of life. "If I were leader of the unbirth, that's definitely a hideout I would pick." Faylin said with a smirked as they marveled at the colossal structure from the bridge that connected the mainland to the ominous tree house . "Yeah no kiddin…hey whats up there?" Salem pointed with his werewolf hand to the top of the tree were they could see the kids from earlier going inside. "How did they get here?" Salem continued once he realized who it was. "I haven't the slightest clue, but something seems fishy about it. Come on lets go." He said and started down the bridge. However he saw a flash of yellow zoom past him as Salem with his new werewolf speed sprinted up the tree with alarming speeds and in seconds ended up on the roof of the entire structure. The blonde spread a goofy grin on his face and his fangs showed playfully. Faylin could see Salem mouth the words "To slow old man" from where he stood which in turn made him sighed and shake his head with a smile. "Kids these days, they get a boost of power and it's like they rule the world." He said as he flashed beside the blonde. Salem jumped at the man's sudden appearance but Faylin swiftly placed a hand on the boy's mouth before he made any startled sound. He then put one finger over his lips to signal Salem to be quiet, and the two eased to an opening in the cracked roof.

They looked inside to see the three kids dancing around scattered pieces of clutter. "This is sure to bring Boogie Oogie back!" The devil said as he pulled out tiny doors from the tub. Each door was in a certain shape. One was shaped as a heart, turkey, Christmas tree. It was then that Faylin noticed it was a door for each holiday and there were a total of 7 in the children's possession. "Lock hand it here and ill start the experiment!" the witch said as she spoke to the devil boy. "Barrel, where is that lab report we stole from that stupid doctor?" she continued. "Right here Shock! I kept it right inside my bag of beetles that way I knew I wouldn't lose it." The skeleton boy said as he opened his small sack and a horde of beetles climbed out and trailed down the small boys body to escape in crevices and holes in the floors and walls of the room. It didn't bother the children at all however and Shock pulled the piece of paper from Barrels sack with ease. "Oh goody this is the best scheme we've had yet!" Shock cheered as she collected the boy's supplies. She looked over the doctor's reports and said "Based on what that old coot said here, the power from the magic doors will give us the power we need to make this work." "But just how ARE we going to make this work?" Barrel spoke up. "You dummy we've already told you like a hundred times, we use the darkness to help make it work!" Shock scolded. "Yeah but…how do we do that?" Lock asked, now equally puzzled. The witch thought deeply about this but then her ugly face soon brightened with the answer. "Well darkness is the scariest thing out there right? So all we have to do is think of the scariest things in the world and that will bring the darkness here!" she announced. Faylin didn't think that was actually how it worked but he watched attentively regardless. The children placed the seven doors around them in a circle, and a light shown in each one. "Just like that crumby paper said!" Shock cheered. "Now think hard you guys!" the three cringed their faces in hard concentration. Whether it was the help of the light that brought forth the darkness or Shock's plan of thinking about the darkness that made it come. But sure enough in the middle of the doors and the three children brought forth a dark circle before them. Then like magic the seven doors of holidays picked themselves off of the dusty wooden floor and levitated themselves into the dark hole. The darkness sizzled and deep within it sounded as if thunder crackled inside. "Hurry we need to put parts of Boogie in before it's too late!" Lock shouted and he threw a pair of red dice into the dark vortex. Shock threw in a sack and Barrel threw in even more bugs than he had before. The hole simmered slightly, and the three children sunk their heads in disappoint at what seemed to be a failed experiment. However a loud boom cracked through the darkness and the floor below them shook and cracked. It was then from the dark hole a black creature morphed out. His skin was totally black and his eyes and mouth shined neon green. "BOOGIE!" The children shouted in merriment. However, the being never responded to them or even acted like it was aware of anything at all. "Why isn't he talking?" Lock asked as he crossed his arms in irritation. "Why does he look like that?" Barrel asked as he circled the black being. Shock snatched the paper and scrolled down it quickly as she searched for the answer. "BARREL YOU DOOFUS! You grabbed a FAILED experiment! This Boogie isn't the real one it's just a dark shadow of him!" she screeched in anger and hit the skeleton boy with the paper. "I'm sorry I'm sorry, it was hard to be able to read which is which when you have that crazy blind doctor swatting away at your head cause you just broke his crumby glasses." Barrel whimpered as he took Shocks beating. "Well, maybe we can still use him?" Lock spoke up and eyed the Boogie shadow mischievously. Shock and Barrel immediately stopped what they were doing at the thought of the idea. "What did you say?" Shock said in surprise. "I don't know about you guys, but I can think of a few pranks and tricks we can pull with a shadow Boogie to do our bidding." "ohhh I like that idea." Barrel said with a toothy grin. Shock laughed manically like a true witch at the thought. "That sounds like good rotten fun! Let's go to Halloween town and break of few things with him! That's sure to cause a mess." She smirked a devious grin.

Underneath the weight of the two men and the addition of stress from Lock Shock and Barrel's evil birth of Shadow Boogie, the roof began to buckle and eventually. Both heartless and keyblade wielder broke through the weak ceiling and crashed right in front of the group they were once spying on. They both landed with a loud thud and the three trouble makers shrieked in surprise. "What on earth!" Shock cries as the smoke begins to clear. "Looks like intruders to me!" Barrel snickered from underneath his mask. Lock shot up taking a leader type role now "Yeah, we don't take trespassers to kindly around here. GET EM OOGIE!" The little devil commanded and the shadow responded promptly. The dark Boogie lashed out at the two and went straight for Faylin's head. Thankfully however Salem was quick to recover and blocked the shadow's attack with his keyblade. The being hissed in pain and backed off immediately before attempting to make another strike against the two. "You okay?" Salem struggled to say as he continued to block the shadow from hurting his friend who still lay on the floor groaning. As they plummeted to the ground Faylin head was rudely smacked by a piece of debris and he was now suffering from a terrible headache. "Ugh..yeah." Faylin responded as he stood up holding his head. His vision trying to get back into focus as opposed to the blur he was now seeing. Eventually however the shadows and shapes aligned into place and Faylin could see Salem fighting off the shadow Boogie. His keyblade sizzled on the Shadow's dark body, but the monster attacked regardless like a mindless zombie. Faylin pulled out his sword from its sheath and prepared to assist the blonde in his effort but was soon distracted. To the back of the room the three hoodlums were scampering inside their tub and began to throw three tiny bombs at the blonde. Salem tried to dodge as many as he could but by the time the third one was about to reach him the shadow went to swing at him once again. So the blonde had to take the blow from the bomb while protecting himself from the powerful swing of the dark beast. He winced in pain but pulled through regardless; the three trouble makers were already at it again and were preparing to fire three more bombs at Salem. He can't dodge all of that on his own Faylin thought to himself and instinctively as the three bombs went flying towards the blonde yet again. He used his sword to bounce them back in the tub with the three ghouls. "Do you smell something burning?" Barrel asked as he looked around unaware of the danger that was put back in the porcelain tub along with them. Shock pin pointed the source of the burning smell instantly and shrieked in terror. Before any of them could evacuate the tiny bombs exploded in the tub with them. The three groaned in pain but it wasn't anything to severe. Just enough to prevent any mischief coming from the bunch. "There's a dose of your own medicine." Faylin smirked at the defeated trio but then resumed his attention back to Salem. Aside with the slight limp in his left leg from the bomb he was holding his own against the shadow to his surprise. He fought more like a man and less like a boy. "Salem! Move!" Faylin commanded and on instinct the blonde responded. The shadow hissed at the two once again but this time went for Faylin. Just further proving that this Boogie shadow had no reasoning whatsoever because Faylin lifted his sword and using his darkness to boost his strength sliced right through the shadow. It shrieked and cried in pain, but the darkness that made it slowly melted away and out popped one of the doors from before. The heart one to be precise, Salem went to pick it up but 6 globs of darkness spewed out and left the building like a mouse about to be discovered. "What the hell was that?" Salem asked as he eyed the room wearily, fearful that another shadow might pop out at any second. Faylin lifted the heart door and a spark flew out of it, almost to reassure the man that the door was still alive with its magic. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling they know…" he said as he eyed the now conscious trio. They stared back in fear and shook in fear at his heartless glare. "Please don't hurt us!" Barrel cried "We'll be good we promise!" Shock whimpered as well. "You better, because if you so much as THINK of causing any more problems you're going to regret it." He said coldly to further frighten the three, which worked because they began to tell them everything and anything about the magic doors and the shadows like water flowing from a faucet.

"What on earth is that?" Blare shouted as they looked out to see 6 black and purple globs erupt from atop a tree fortress and scoot swiftly down and around the three. The girls both looked at Jack hoping perhaps this was normal for the area but he seemed just as troubled as they were. "I haven't the slightest clue but it doesn't look very promising." He said as his bony face carried deep concern. Akira looked back at the creepy tree house and atop of the construction something caught her eye. "Is that the boys?" almost as if he had heard her voice from so far away, the pirate flashed in front of her and gave her a hug. "You're okay!" he said with a goofy grin. "To answer your question? Yes, yes it is." Blare laughed at the boys reaction and Akira's face blushed slightly by the man's embrace. "Yeah I'm fine." She said trying to get the attention off of her "But what about you and Salem? What were those things that shot out of the room you were in?" she asked curiously. "Gee thanks for waiting man." Salem said panting. While Faylin used his darkness to teleport down to the girls Salem had to run the whole way. Faylin ignored the blonde however and answered Akira instead. "Lock Shock and Barrel used some type of spell to make 7 shadows Boogie man's out of these magic holiday doors they found. There is no telling what they could do to the town, me and Salem managed to take out one and get a door." He said as he revealed the Valentine's Day door to the group. "But there are still 6 out their roaming free!" he said. "Did you say Lock Shock and Barrel did this? Those three are always causing mischief. This time I will personally make sure that trio is properly punished." Jack said with rage in his voice. Faylin and Salem looked over at the walking skeleton and eyed him with confusion. "Oh this is Jack Skellington. Jack this is Salem and Faylin. Our friends." Blare introduced. Jack's temper soon simmered down and he grinned happily at the two. "What fine young lads, it's a pleasure to meet you and thank you for your contribution in defeating this abomination." He said respectfully and shook both their hands. The two were obviously a bit weirded out but thus far everyone was starting to get used to the strange things this world had to offer. Faylin looked around carefully throughout the group obviously looking for something. "Where is Gail?" he asked, his body growing tense for fear of bad news. "Bad ol Jack here kinda scared the pure shit out of her so she is at the doctors resting. No biggie." Blare said with a smile. Her manner and posture showing that she hadn't the slightest worry in the situation. Akira however stood a bit uncomfortable at the mention of what happened. And refused to look at Faylin. "Terribly sorry about that. It was all in good fun I promise you." Jack said innocently, but Faylin ignored him "You guys left her alone?" His tone a bit more harsh now. There it was, what Akira was worried about, Faylin was upset with them. Thankfully Blare covered for her loss of words and said "It's cool its cool, she is safe dude. The doctor is watching after her so don't worry." She said with a smile. Faylin didn't seem convinced but dropped the conversation regardless. "Come now you guys! We have some Boogie's to exterminate!" Jack announced and began to lead the way with his long legs. The group soon followed but Akira stayed still and grabbed Faylin's arm to keep him at bay with her. "I'm sorry Faylin." She looked up with sadness in her eyes. Leaving Gail behind although she had not said anything had been bothering her the whole time, along with the thought of letting her older brother down. His heart would have broken if he had one, she looked so pitiful. "Don't be, I'm not mad at you or anyone else. It's fine." He said to try to comfort her. It was true, he wasn't mad at anyone. Just a worried older brother who was concerned for a non-present little sister. She smiled gently and the two soon followed the rest of the group.


	38. Faded light

Gail's body twitched and turned in her unconsciousness as she fought off the nightmares. They were throwing themselves at her like desperate heartless—monsters who wanted to devour her whole. She could hear her own scream rippling through reality as she struggled to get free of the darkness' hold. Never before had she been so enclosed by such emptiness and surrounded by such horrors. Accustomed to the brighter side of things her entire life, warmed by the gentle touches of light that had guided her along her entire life, she felt completely alone and out of her habitat here, and she was scared. Terrified to the point where she could feel hot stinging streaks of tears falling from her eyes. For once in her life she genuinely felt alone—and that made her angry. How could her friends have left her in an unfamiliar environment as unprotected and vulnerable as she was? Anything could happen, and in a particularly scary world like this, the worst was bound to happen. Another scream escaped her lips as she lost grip and fell into one of the nightmares.

She fell in as a third party viewer to a scene that was all too familiar to her. She was curled up into a ball hiding from the monsters that sought for her heart. Faylin had only just recently left her to fend for herself.. Gail gasped at the pained expression child-Gail had on her face. She had been so horrified and lost—a perfect match to Gail's would be face if she'd been conscious. Gail wanted to run to her younger self and scoop her up in her arms, but there was some invisible force blocking her from moving; it held her in place, immobilizing her to just watch. The tiny girl sobbed into her torn bloodied dress, heaving deeply as she felt the pain and loss of her family. Gail's heart broke as she relived this moment, because she knew the disaster that was soon to come. The child-Gail's tears were brought to an abrupt halt as she began to shriek. Skeleton hands branded with the heartless insignia shot up out of the ground and grabbed her leg and arm. Skeletons dragged themselves out of the dirt and piled on top of each other as they grasped for the child. Child-Gail ripped her arms free and staggered away from them on to the main dirt road. "Just leave me alone!" She screamed as the heartless stood up and began to run after her.

Gail closed her eyes and put her fingers to her temples, not wanting to watch what happened next. Child-Gail fell, and the heartless were on her in a second, taking their sharp bones and cutting her skin, ripping at the flesh and pulling it back as they sought her heart. Child-Gail screamed and screamed, crying out in pain as they attacked her. One sunk it's hand straight through her chest, but to no avail, came back with nothing. The tiny Gail was laying there unconscious as they ripped her body up. They finally gave up and left her there in a bloody heap. Gail's vision blurred out from the scene and she found herself back in the darkness from before.

Everything was still for a moment..And then the pain came. Gail was projected from her body so that she could see what was going on around her. Her body was strapped down to an illuminated table. There was a strap around her waist, one that covered her eyes, one around her neck, and several around her arms and legs. What the hell.. She thought to herself as she watched her body convulse. She was having a seizure- God, why am I like this? Where are my friends? Faylin? A tear glistened in the corner of her body's eye and fell down her cheek. A sense of dread creeped up her skin leaving goose bumps in its wake. A man in a wheel chair rolled up to her..but it wasn't a man at all. It was a monster. It was a short tiny scary thing with a duck bill for a mouth and broken dark teeth that hung out of it as he opened his mouth. His skin was paper white and it had a bruised gray hint to its tone. He wore a lab coat that clung to his tiny limbs…His head had a line cut cross the top that was grotesquely bolted shut. Apart from all of that, the most terrifying thing was not how he looked, but the syringe that he held in his palms: it was huge and there was a sharp silver point that glistened in the lab lights as he rolled closed to Gail. He was mumbling something about a failed experiment as he drew nearer. Gail fought to get her body to move, but it was still. He slid the needle into her temple a good two inches, injected some sick green looking formula into it, and then rolled around to her other temple and did the same. Gail could feel the needle slide in, and she became nauseated as the second one went in. The nausea soon turned into this fiery migraine as she felt the formula working its way through her blood stream. She wanted to puke her guts out as dizziness set in-but it would seem that wasn't all that the doctor had in store for her. He stuck several needles into her arms and began to draw her blood into these weird crystal bottles. And finally, he pulled out a sharp scalpel, cut away her clothes showing her lacey purple bra, and began to dig into her chest.

The projectile Gail screamed out in pain as she felt every slice he did, watching him pull back layer and layer of her skin. "OH gods stop!" she screamed as her body began to twitch from the pain. Her body began to convulse and arch upwards against the doctors force. Come on Gail, you have to stop this. Tears were now flowing down her bodies cheeks in a fury. "Oh stop it," the doctors harsh voice scolded as he continued to peel back her skin; blood was running down her torso, staining her bra and dress, spreading across the table in a vibrant puddle. A scream ripped out of her lips as her eyes flew open and Gail came to her senses as her real self. "Stop!" she cried, begging him. "Please just stop." She sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut from the pain. "It hurts so bad." The doctor ignored her and continued. "Faylin!" she screeched at the top of her lungs. Twisting her arms and legs trying to get free, she cried his name over and over again, begging him to come save her. "Shut it now you stupid doll, I'll make you into the best Halloween trick yet!" The doctor said as he rolled away to one of his many lab tables. Gail's breath came in short pained intervals, her chest heaving up and down in response to the pain she was undergoing. "W-what are you doing?" she whimpered as he came towards her again. He didn't respond, but raised his hand up with another syringe..and just smiled this horribly wicked smile at her as he plunged it down into her chest, pushing the button down and letting this sick black venom seep into her heart as she faded back into the darkness.

Faylin came to an abrupt halt, his ears peaked. "Guys, shut up." He commanded the group swiftly, silencing their chatter. "Wh—" Salem started, only to be silenced by Faylin's sharp glare. A scream echoed through the air. "Looks like some poor child got scared!" Jack chimed in happily, jumping at the idea. "No, shut up." Faylin closed his eyes and focused as crows shot up into the air and flew away in a panic. "Somethings not right," worry ate away at his brow and Akira reached for him. "Get off me," he threw her hand away from him. She looked pained in response, but he wasn't paying attention. "You guys said..You left Gail, right?" "Yeah, but she's okay dude." Blare piped up. "We made su—" "But she's alone, unconscious, right?" "Yes.." Blare said quieter now, seeing Faylin's worry. "You left her alone..In a world where she knows nothing of..and where she's vulnerable? To any kind of attack?!" his eyes narrowed on Blare. "Calm down man, she's fine—" she never got to finish her sentence because his hand was around her throat in a second. "How dare you…" he squeezed. "Faylin! Stop!" Salem jumped on him and grabbed his arms, but Faylin threw him off easily. "I—I can't breathe—" her legs dangled beneath her. Faylin roared and slung her aside and she crumpled on the ground, grasping at her throat as she tried to bring in air. Salem shoved Faylin, "What's wrong with you?" He was ignored as Faylin fell into a portal at a run. His vision was blurred by panic and fear. He could sense Gail's life force, but it was fading quickly. "Oh god, Gail, baby sister.. Please be okay.."

He tore through the portal into the doctors lab, and stood there in pure horror. He was petrified with shock. The doctor was sitting over his sister, her chest cavity and ribs exposed-broken to the side, and he was pulling her heart out of her chest. "Gail!" he screamed, running and knocking the doctor aside. Her eyes fluttered softly as he said her name. "Oh Gail.. Oh God..Oh God." He held her hand close to him, "Please stay with me, don't let go..Just..stay with me. I can't lose you again." Tears fell from his eyes, and his eyes stung. "No no no..Don't let go!" "Faylin." She choked out as blood fell from the corners of her mouth. "Just..let me..Don't let me become..one of them.." she choked out blood and coughed painfully. "No sweetie, don't." The doctor laughed, crawling towards her with a pair of surgical scissors and cut her heart so that it fell to the ground. "She'll be the perfect experiment..Such power..Such purity." He cackled as Faylin looked upon him with horror. Faylin's hands shook with rage as he held onto his dead sister.

"You..You mean you knew? You knew she was alive and you did this to her?!" "But of course. I've been commissioned by the Unbirths for a great party trick" The doctor began, his voice fading into a mumble as he continued on. "And what a party trick she'll be!" His vision went black, and everything was on impulse, but something stopped him. Gail's fingers were digging into him, and the leather belts that held her down snapped. Faylin's attention fell to her as hope sprung back up in him, but hope was soon to be diminished. A dark fire was creeping around her insides, and was devouring everything it touched. The bones were being turned into ash and the muscles were shriveling up. "W-what?" He started as he was thrown back by the force of the power that was unleashed by her. "Gail!" he reached for her, but was held down. The broken witches body collapsed in on itself and exploded outwards with a purple fire so hot it singed the skin on Faylin's arm and everything around them. The fire spread so quickly that it lit aflame the entire laboratory. The doctor laughed and curled into a ball. "You see? You see!" he croaked. "The perfect experiment. I'll teach them for doubting my abilities" "Are you mad?!" Faylin yelled as he heard the beams holding the ceiling crack. He ran and grabbed the doctor and flashed outside of the lab and watched as it collapsed in a fiery explosion that lit up the night sky in a tall tower of purple flame.

The town sat quietly as Gail's older brother fell to his knees and broke down in tears. His spirit was broken. Never had he been able to protect those he'd loved, and he'd failed the only member of his family he had left. Now he was all alone, and his sister had died by herself with no one to save her. Nauseated, his insides decided to make a proper display of them on the ground underneath him. He wretched and convulsed in pain. He'd seen her fear as she let go and it was honestly the most haunting thing he'd ever seen.._More haunting than Jessamine's blood on his hands. _The ground reeked of his insides as his breath caught in his throat. "Gail..Gail..Gail…." the echo of his name rung through his mind shaking him to his core. The laboratory crackled as the flames engulfed it hungrily. "You can't be..No you can't be gone." Gail had been a motherly figure to everyone in the group and she'd left her hearts imprint upon each one of them. How could he break it to them that she was gone?

A roar erupted from the laboratory and Faylin's attention was brought away from his weeping as he looked up. A black crystal dragon with a hole in its chest crawled out of the purple flame. It's eyes glowed a faint white, and out of its snout fell black fire. "Oh God..Gail." He jumped up and stepped back in obvious fear. The dragon slithered with grace towards him out of the ruin, a low growl escaping its jaws. "Gail if you can hear me, this isn't you." He held up his hands and was slowly reaching for his sword. "Baby sister. See the light. See it. Please." The dragon snarled at him and knocked him down, holding him with its claws piercing lightly into his sides. He cringed at the pain. "Gail..Please." He whispered as the dragon lowered its snout to smell him. It dropped him and jerked back. "Gail!" the dragon shifted into a small tiny frame and it fell to the ground.

Dark hair cascaded around it's naked body, and purple eyes looked up at Faylin, pained. "..What..Who..Am I?" Gail had been reborn as heartless, just like Faylin and Akira. Her purity in the light had been transformed into the most corrupt darkness. Her dragon had become a monster of destruction. Her being had become..Darkness itself. Faylin ran to her and took off his shirt and wrapped it around her naked body and scooped her up in his arms. "It's okay sweetheart, shh. I'll take care of you." Her head lulled back against him, "Who are you?" she mumbled faintly in a hoarse voice as she fell into a slumber. "Don't worry love, you'll remember me soon enough. I just hope you won't forget who you are in the process." Gail's body had changed drastically, but you could still tell that it was her. Her hair was now a dark black with white strings woven into it in random places, and her eyes were purple with a blue ring around the outer edge. Where her heart was, she now had a scar from the damage the doctor had done, and on it, the heartless symbol branched out with black veins on her body.

It wasn't like Faylin or Akira's mark..She hadn't been turned by an actual heartless, but had been made one by force. Her body, instead of being fragile and weak was now lined with slender lean muscles. Her eye lashes now fell upon her cheeks leaving a shadow, and her lips were now a faint white instead of pink. Her skin was also a ghostly white, paler now and without her vibrant flush.

Gail's body felt strong but weak in his arms at the same time as he walked into a portal. There had to be a safe place where he could keep her so that she couldn't cause any harm. With the new power of darkness she'd be unstoppable, even for him, and he had to teach her control before he could re-introduce her back to the group..Doubtful that he could do it quickly, he'd have to have patience and lie to them to begin with. It was too much of a risk for all of them, her being what she was now. She'd be starving and driven by her hunger for hearts—crazed by their draw like he'd been when he was first changed. The sound of running water sung to his ears as he stepped out of the portal with Gail held tightly in his arms. It was a cavern with stone steps leading to the sealed heart of the world. Water fell from a river up above, a beautiful sight that Gail would love as she watched. Well, at least the old Gail. Faylin propped her over his shoulders and leaped up the vines till he came to the closed keyhole. He lay her body against the rock and brushed her hair out of her face. "I'll wait for you to awake, sister." From within his pants pocket he pulled a box that had several hearts within it. Sitting beside her, he put his arms around her and pulled her close. "Never again will I let anyone hurt you."

She jerked in response and flew out of his grasp, posed for attack. "You..I know you." She said faintly. "Yes, I'm your brother." "Oh." She walked towards him, holding his shirt closed as she examined him. "Faylin. That's what your name is." "Yes. Do you remember anything else?" "No. But I'm..starving.." He extended his hands with the box to her, and she took it and devoured the hearts hungrily. "Listen, Gail. I have to leave you here…It's to keep you and everyone else safe. They'll kill you otherwise…But I'll bring you more of those..Just promise me you'll stay here." She tilted her head and nodded silently. "Good. I'll be back." He kissed her on the forehead and vanished into a portal.


	39. Heartache

**Everyone - Heartache**

* * *

Akira, Blare, and Salem were screaming out his and Gail's names as they watched the laboratory burn to the ground. Akira was crying saying it was her fault, and Blare was staring with horror, but saying nothing. Salem was being held back by Blare because he was trying to run in to get the two. "Gail! Gail! Faylin!" he was yelling, fighting to get free of Blare's grip. "Stop kiddo..There's..nothing you can do." She cringed. "You're right.." Faylin started, solemnly walking next to them and placing a hand on Salem's shoulder. Akira threw himself on her and cried into his chest. "I was so scared…" "Blare's right. There's nothing we can do. Gail's..She's gone." Salem looked at him with a fear so livid on his face. "Gone? She's not..Dead..Is she?" Faylin hung his head as a tear fell from his eye. "She's..Gone." Blare gasped and Akira sobbed even harder. "We shouldn't have ever left her." Akira whined, clinging to him. "Oh I'm so sorry Faylin. Poor Gail." "I don't blame you Akira..I blame Blare." Blare narrowed her eyes at him. "Me? Why me? I didn't do anything!" Faylin was in her face in a second. "You LEFT HER, you CONVINCED Akira it was going to be okay! You left Gail when she was vulnerable." He shoved her on the ground. "You're lucky I don't kill you where you are." Salem jumped in front of Blare. "How can you say it's her fault? How could she have known? How could anyone have known?! I miss Gail.." He sniffed, holding back tears, "But you CANNOT put the blame on ANYONE for this." Faylin breathed deeply, hating he had to put on this act. "Salem, get out of my way. Now." "No." He was firm with his answer. "Fine." Faylin opened up a portal beneath Blare and she fell into it. "She's gone back to Destiny Islands. I'll not have her near any of us…Not with the risk she puts us at." Salem punched him in the face, causing Faylin to stumble backwards as he was caught off guard. "You're such an asshole. Fuck you." Salem stormed off in the opposite direction, leaving Akira and Faylin standing awkwardly. "Huh." Faylin touched his face lightly, and looked at Akira who was at loss for what to say or do. "Go check on him. I'll work on this boogie problem." She lowered her eyes and ran after Salem, only looking back at him once.

Salem was perched on top of an old casket in the graveyard, his knees pulled into his chest and his head resting on them. He was fuming, Akira could tell from the almost visible steam pouring out of his nostrils. "Go away Akira..Not right now. You can't defend your prick of a boyfriend to me..Not right now." Stubborn as she was, she stood right in front of him and stared him down. "Now, you can't blame him you jerk. His sister freaking DIED. SHE'S DEAD. And it's mine and Blares fault." "No it's not.." "Yes it is Salem. We left her when she was unconscious and helpless to any attack. I didn't want to, but I still did it. So it's both of our faults." "Yeah but Faylin isn't trying to kill you." "Well, I don't know, but you can't be mad at him. He's broken." "So am I!" "She was his sister..He'd just gotten her back..And now he won't ever have her again. He's all alone..And wait, how are you broken because of this?" her mouth kind of hung open. "Because she was mine to protect and I failed her. I loved her, and I let her die." "Salem. You loved her? I..I didn't know..But it's as much your fault as it is ours. Like you said, no one could have known that was going to happen." She hugged him and was surprised when he started shaking with tears into her shoulder. "It just hurts so bad." "I know Salem..I know." She cried with him, never letting him go.

The newborn heartless slumped against the cave wall, spasming with hurt as she struggled to maintain consciousness. There was this hollow ache inside of her chest that was driving her inside—a desperate desire to find something to fill it. A need so great her mind was clouded with the justification of murder to obtain it. Her flingers ripped futilely at her chest, wanting so bad to end the suffering, but failing as her skin healed over almost instantaneously. Her eyes drooped as the hunger became too much and her body weakened. "A new born should be full of strength and granted everything it desires", a cold voice echoed throughout the chamber. A cloaked figure stood over Gail and stooped so that they could look her in the eye. "Come here, my beauty. I have but one wish for you." Gail flinched and curled in on herself, feeling the power of this creature and the ease it would have in destroying her. "N-no." she choked out, letting her dark hair fall into her face. "Please?" "NO!" Gail screamed, wanting to escape. "Well, it was an attempt." The creature waved his arm and dozens of unconscious bodies fell in front of her. "Eat up beautiful, I'll have you yet, but for now, I must sway you." He lifted her head and kissed her lightly. "I'll be back." And he was gone. The hunger became too much and Gail lunged for the bodies and tore into them.

Salem and Akira were silently crying with each other, both distraught by the loss of one of their friends, and both worried about what would happen next. "Oh what's the point?" Salem said, pushing gently away from Akira and summoning his keyblade. "I can't save anyone. WE can't save anyone. What's the point of having this blade if the people we love are just going to be taken away from us no matter what we do?" He threw his blade from him and it tumbled to the ground with an empty clatter. "God, I fucking hate being so weak. I hate this all!" the keyblade lit up ever so slightly, but it wasn't a good light, but a dark sheer that was crawling it's way around his blade of light. "Salem." "No, Akira! This is my fault," pausing for a moment, heaving out his breaths angrily. "I could have—I should have saved her!" "You couldn't have known!" Akira started at him, coming towards his side in offer of comfort. "Salem please—" he shoved her away from her and at the complete shock of it, she tumbled to the ground and just looked up at him. "That's enough Salem," Faylin said, walking out a portal and grabbing Salem's hand which was prepared for the next blow. "Akira didn't do anything. She couldn't do anything. And you will not blame her." Salem snatched his arm from Faylin and shoved him "Do you not even care?! She was your sister!" Faylin looked away swiftly, hiding the betrayal in his eyes from his remaining party members. "Of course I care. I care more than all of you. Now, Salem stop this madness before something bad happens." With a quick hand motion towards the keyblade of his friend, Salem looked and stared in shocked silence. His keyblade was transforming into a blade of darkness. "No, no, no. No stop it." He called back his keyblade which reverted to its normal appearance. "Now, Salem, that is what will happen if you let the anger in your heart become darkness. You WILL lose yourself. Have no doubt about it." He had by then gone to pick up Akira gently and brush the dirt off of her. "Now, we must focus on the mission ahead..and defeat these bastards because it would be what Gail would want out of all of us." "Don't talk about her like that.." Salem hung his head. "I won't believe..I just can't."

Gail awoke covered in a thick glop and twisted in an awkward sitting position against a cold hard wall. Unaware of her situation, she stretched carefully, being mindful of her surroundings. Memories began to flood back into her head as her slender figure slid up the wall coming into a standing position. Her, Blare, and Akira were all joking with each other, walking through the dark world, and then a face..A horrifying face had appeared, jarring from the depths of her mind painful memories that she wished not to relive. Having been so frightened and so brought back into those memories, she'd fainted right on the spot and hadn't woken back up. She'd floated along in her subconscious listening to the nightmares and the whispers of the ghosts of her past, fending off their taunts and misery…Till the point where the pain came. Oh the pain, she thought miserably, how the pain had been horrible and made her just want to die..And died she had. But here she was, alive, strong, and..powerful. Clenching her fists, she felt the tight woven muscles that strung up her arms and into her shoulders.

Heh, she could give Faylin a run for his money now, she thought slyly. But with this strength came an empty hollow feeling, a sense of dread, and a hunger that burned within the core of her being. She'd become like her brother and Akira. She'd become one of them-but she was different, she knew. She'd been MADE into one, forced from her living body into this life when she still had a chance..Whereas with them, they'd been made upon their dying breaths. She lifted up the collar of her tattered shirt and stared down at her chest, looking calmly upon the hole that was left by the doctors gone-wrong-experiment. Placed simply in the center of her chest was the heartless emblem and from it ran long black veins that pumped dark purple blood throughout her body. "Oh man." She said, touching it and feeling the cold it radiated, "Have I done been messed up or what?" Another thought came to her mind as she feared for the life of her inner dragon and the power of her magic. Raising her hands up, she summoned from within her being a basic water spell, and divided the waterfalls in half. But to this magic there was no light, but in its place, darkness. It wasn't pure, nor was it whole. It was corrupt and evil. Gail's eyes wide with horror, she shifted into her dragon and even its form had changed: it'd gone from a sleek crystalline white dragon, to a dark, shiny, ebony dragon that had purple scales scattered about its body. Panicked now, she shifted back to her human form and ran to the edge of the waterfalls, staring at her reflection in the water. Everything about the way she looked had changed. Her facial structure was harder and pointed, the baby fat gone now, leaving in its wake bone and stretched flesh. Her sea blue eyes had changed to a light violet rimmed with a darker purple and then a lighter blue. Her flowing, curly white hair had changed to straight black hair with a purple sheen to it. Her figure wasn't as rounded, and like her face, had become slender and sharper. Her lips had gone from a plump pink to a hollow light pink, barely a different tone from her pasty skin. She looked evil, she looked dark. What scared her the most, however, was not her change in appearance, or the devastating scary beauty she now would have to learn to rock, but the absolute hunger that showed bright in her eyes.

She stepped back and stumbled over a lump, falling on her behind. Next to her and behind her were bodies. Still bodies with their chest cavities hallowed out. Gail screamed in horror and jumped away from them, scooting against the wall of the cave, and began to cry. "Oh my god, did I do that? Please tell me I didn't do that." She covered her eyes and pulled her knees close to her chest. Waving her hands, the bodies fell into darkness out of her sight. She stood and let her brother's shirt fall from her figure, revealing her new slender body. "Some clothes" she breahed, bending down and bringing her hands from the tip of her toes to her collar bones. A purple lace wrapped around her feet and halfway up her calves. Black shoes formed from the darkness and slipped over the lace on her feet. Tight dark pants slid up over her legs and were held in place at the waist and calf muscles by a black ribbon. A black bra covered her bare chest and a shoulderless shirt formed on top of it, barely hiding the heartless mark on her chest. A vest settles in place over the shirt. On her hands, fingerless gloves formed. She stretched so that she could get a good angle of herself. "This will do," she paused, "but there's something missing." Out of thin air, she waved her hands, and a dark sash fell into her hands. She brought it to her eyes and covered them, tying it under her hair at the back of her head. She knew her eyes would reveal her pain and who she was. With a sigh, she raised a hand to her neck and a silver chain with a black gem fell into the hollow of her breast. Satisfied with her appearance, she opened up a dark portal—a new found power—and fell backwards into it, coming out in Halloween Town, outside the ruins of the doctors lab. "Oh Faylin..I'm coming to you because I need your help."


	40. For those lost

Faylin held onto Akira and Salem as he warped to the location of the boogies. They were all gathered in a hollow field that was surrounded by flowing water. "Uh, guys, what are they doing?" Akira asked looking at them weird. They were all standing in a circle doing what seemed to be holding hands. "They're holding hands and slowly rotating to the right." Faylin simply stated. Salem shrugged and lit up with his golden power, summoning his keyblade to his hand. "Salem wait!" Faylin called, but it was too late. Salem was zipping in fast circles around the boogies, slicing them into pieces over and over again as he zipped around. He was back by his teams side within an instant. "All done." He said as happily as he could pretend. The boogies fell apart from the seams, and bugs fell everywhere as their fake dark hearts zipped up into the sky—instead of vanishing like they normally would have, they all flew around each other and came together in one gigantic dark heart which came crashing down into the ground. "Oh shit." Faylin said, taking hold of Akira and pulling her into his arms just as the ground began to shake. "Hold on guys!" he yelled over the roar of the earthquake and the splitting sound of ground being ripped apart. A giant spider heartless crawled its way out of the ground, 8 legs, 10 eyes, hairy black skin, long venomous fangs, and the works. It crawled out of the ground and from its back extended more legs, but at the end of these legs were suspended the boogies bodies, the legs piercing through the chest and branching out through the bodies like a infectious vine. "What the hell is that?!" Faylin yelled, putting Akira behind him, who protested by kneeing him in the butt. She came to his side and with a smart ass remark, "Looks like a fucking huge ass spider with extra baggage." "Guess I should have waited?" Salem asked with wide eyes. Faylin just shot him a sarcastic glare. "Well lets go kick some bug ass!" Akira said a little over zealous. "Arachnid." Faylin corrected. "Oh shut the hell up." However, before they could attack, another figure shot onto the battle field. Black hair showered over a slim dangerous figure that had her eyes covered with a belt, and dark pants, black shoes attached to her pants by dark purple lace , and a long black sleeved shirt that was shoulderless and covered by a vest as her only armor. From belts at her side, she pulled ebony short swords and used magic to elongate them to a dangerous length, and charged the heartless head on. She'd detached all but 3 of the boogies when she was knocked back flat on her ass. "Come on guys, let's go help her!" Akira said as she shifted into her heartless form and ran at the bigger heartless, bashing and slicing at him with her samurai swords that were now attached to her arms. Faylin was next, knowing exactly who the girl was, and wanting to protect everyone in the situation. His armor rippled from within his flesh and broke loose of it as he soared into the air and came straight down, crashing through the center of the heartlesses body. Salem used his light power and shot straight through the heartless, and finally, the new figure transformed into a heartless dragon twice the size of the heartless and ripped it from the ground, shaking it fiercely in its grip until it began to crumble. The dragon slung it into the ground and lit it up with a dark black flame. The spider heartless roared as its life crumbled into ashes. The dragon shifted back into the black haired girl and she looked up at the heart as it flew to the sky. Without a second's hesitation, she flew and grabbed it, and devoured it heartily. "Oh my god, is it someone like us?!" Akira stared, shocked at the idea. "Well no—" Faylin began. "Yes," the girl said, her voice was thicker and it sounded a bit strained, but there wasn't much difference to Gail's sweet lullaby of a voice. "I am Lain, I've come to seek you out and request assistance with this..Life." her head tilted slightly towards Faylin to let him know her plan of coming back as a new person, so not to cause him trouble, and to not cause strife among the group and to further protect them. He nodded just enough for her to notice, but not for the others. "Oh man, that's super cool." Akira started, momentarily forgetting the troubles of earlier. "Your heartless is a huge freaking dragon! Can you do anything else?" Lain smiled a wicked smile. "Oh yes, that and lots more."

Salem's eyes narrowed as he looked upon the girl named _Lain._ "I don't want another heartless." He stated firmly, crossing his arms in protest. "Especially not one that reminds me of Gail." He summoned his blade and leveled it at Lain's chest and furrowed his brows. "That's all you monsters do is bring pain, and here you arm, some standing heartless who can turn into a dragon just like her." He scoffed, pain written all over his face. "All you heartless ever do is destroy what's good! That's why she's gone!" he lunged for her and knocked her off of her feet and fell upon her with swiftness. "God, die you stupid monster!" He struck out at her and she held her hands up in defense. She couldn't attack him because she'd hurt him, and besides, she knew she'd heal fast anyways. "Salem!" Akira screamed, running at him and grabbing for his arms. Akira was knocked back by the sheer force of his rage. "Don't you dare stop me Akira." His eyes were full of tears as he raised his blade, but it never made contact with Lain's face. Faylin's hand intersected it, and his skin sizzled as he held the blade in place. "Salem, stop." He fell off of her and rolled to his side, curling in on himself. "God, I'm sorry. I don't even—I don't know you..I'm sorry." Lain lay there and sucked in a breath of air as her injuries began to close up and heal themselves. She kicked and flipped on her feet, landing in a crouch. "It's," she brushed dirt off of her, calming the maddening darkness that raged through her to strike out at the boy she'd once known, "okay." She said through barred teeth.

Her instinct was to rush the boy and tear at him for attacking her, but she knew that wouldn't bring about any good. She stood and breathed in another breath of air. She offered her hand to the weeping blond as a sign of friendship and restraint, and he took it. She pulled him to his feet and set him steady. Faylin was panicking, his plan clearly not going as he had originally intended. She flashed Salem a brilliant smile before she turned to Faylin. With a slight bow of her head, and her hands stiffly at her sides, she spoke: "Faylin, the stories of you and Akira have been whispered throughout the stars; the only two heartless who've retained their humanity. When I heard I wasn't alone, I saw a glimmer of hope for what I am. Companionship and learning. Please," she raised her head and if her eyes hadn't of been covered, she would have looked him straight in the eyes, "Please, will you and Akira teach me how to control this horrible burden that runs through my veins and echoes in the hallow of my chest?" to exaggerate her plead, she got on her hands and knees and bowed in submission. Faylin and Akira both looked awfully uncomfortable, and Salem looked plain horrified. "Uh," Akira began, bowing beside the girl; Faylin followed her motion and they both took Lain's boney white hands in theirs and pulled her to her feet. "I'll help you out," Akira said smiling first at Lain and then to Faylin. "If Faylin hadn't of stopped to help me, then I'd still be out there causing chaos, and I might even be dead for my lack of restraint." Faylin smiled weakly at Akira and then continued after her. "Yeah, we'll teach you, but you can't be around Salem while it happens." Salem grunted and Akira shot him a dirty look. "What Faylin means probably is that—" "That your darkness is raw and undefined..More than Akira's was when we first found each other-" "And that he doesn't want Salem to get hurt while we're helping you get your power under control." "Exactly."

"She's a heartless." The young keyblade master plainly stated. "And she's just gonna cause trouble." He pouted as the three heartless talked about the conditions of training and what was going to happen and what wouldn't. Salem was being ignored so he raised his voice. "She's just gonna be trouble and kill and take hearts!" Ignored still. "We'll probably end up killing her—" "Salem!" Akira turned on him so fast and shoved him. "Look, we're all upset and torn up about Gail. We get it. If me and Faylin had hearts, ours would be just as broken as yours is." Salem shoved her back, "You guys are different from that heartless thou—" "No we're not—" "And it's people like her that caused Gail's death!" he screamed, pointing an accusing finger at Lain. Lain cringed inwardly seeing him in so much pain. "No she's not. The Unbirths were!" Akira screamed at him shoving him so hard he fell on his rear. "How can you be so stupid to let love blind you like this?! This isn't what Gail would have wanted!" Salem lowered his head in disgust and shame, turning from Akira. _He loves me..He loved Gail? What? _Lain thought to herself. "Gail would have been all goody goody miss perfect and would have wanted to help this heartless to the best of her ability to give her a chance like Gail had helped us obtain our chance! Gail helped us find our way no matter what, she was always a shining beacon when we were lost in the dark." Akira's eyes were now red with tears. "She helped us all find ourselves." Salem stood up and pulled Akira into a hug. "Okay, okay. For Gail I'll stop. I guess you're right. Everyone deserves a chance." His voice was sincere but his eyes were still full of hatred as he looked upon Lain. Akira hugged him back and Faylin just starred with sorrow. Turning back to Lain, he shook his head and went back to talking. "I'm sorry" Lain mouthed at him as Salem and Akira let go of each other to join the conversation.


	41. Pent up emotions

**Everyone - Pent up emotions**

* * *

Salem had resigned to draw in upon himself from the three heartless, especially the newest addition and biggest replacement of one of their former members. Now that Gail was gone, he felt alone and orbited by enclosing darkness, and if he thought about it hard enough, that's what he realized was happening. He was the only light bearer in the party now, and the darkness would eventually gravitate to him and he was frightened that he would succumb to it like Gail had. Even now with his last little bit of light he could feel the darkness tainting his heart with emotions of anger and hurt. He was mad at himself for not being there for his friend, hurt that the first girl who'd treated him with real genuine love was gone, angry at the Unbirths for taking her away, devastated at how Faylin had treated Blare, and furious at Faylin for being such a jerk; though, it seemed for some reason that the blunt of his anger and frustration was at Lain. She'd come in his brief time of mourning and she'd been accepted instantly by the other heartless. It was like they'd replaced her. Scoffing, he fell backwards on the ground of Halloween Town. Dark gray dust shot up and surrounded him, resulting in him sneezing. He lay there and closed his eyes, ignoring the ghostly sounds of terror that echoed off the rocks and attuning his ears to Faylin's conversation with the other two conversations. _"Now listen, we can't have Salem getting hurt,"_ the man said quietly to the two. _Psh, like that new heartless could hurt me. She probably doesn't have any idea how to control her powers..Not really anyways_ He'd stood up to both Faylin and Akira a number of times and each time he'd come out with a scratch or two. _Your darkness is raw and undefined..More than Akira's was when we first found each other._ Faylin had said. "Yeah right," Salem muttered under his breath, raising his hand above his head and summoning his keyblade. "No one has the power I do."

Faylin said something Salem couldn't quite make out to Lain and soon after him and Akira stood and started walking off in the opposite direction. Salem lulled his head to the side slightly so that he could take her in. He wondered if all girls shared similar features because there was a definite resemblance between Gail, Akira, and Lain. He didn't really know much about girl/woman figures 'cause he'd never put much thought into it, but he supposed it could be a possibility. Gail hadn't been fat, but she hadn't been stick skinny either. Curvy was a good word for her; she resembled an hourglass and baby fat had puffed up her cheeks and lips. Gail hadn't ever looked physically that strong because she'd never been much of a hand to hand combat fighter, but one who destroyed from the distance. Her eyes had always shone bright blue and her hair had always fallen in extremely curly curls around her face. Akira was the complete opposite to Gail. She nailed Gail when it came to height and physical strength, but she didn't have the delicate grace Gail had had. She was more of a straightforward blunt edge, but beautiful nonetheless; wavy black hair that had grown long with their time together curled around the edge of her jaw and her skin shown pale as paper in comparison. Her eyes were a dazzling jade green, adding onto the effect her appearance caused. Her figure was slender and she had curves, but she was definitely tinier than Gail had been. He sat up to study the girl who sat alone in a state of stillness. She had dark black hair like Akira and curls like Gail. Her features were sharp but she was near the same height of Gail. Everything about her was like the two girls smashed together. If only he could see her eyes. He bet they were pretty._ Ugh, no, it's a monster, I can't think about it like that..And I can't betray my feelings for Gail._ He jumped up and started walking off. "Salem." Lain's voice croaked, strained from the silence. He ignored her and kept walking. Footsteps echoes through the night air and she rushed to catch up with him. "Go away." He said hanging his head so that he couldn't look at her. "No, please—" "I said go away!" His keyblade shot through the air passing where she had been seconds before. "What the—" she landed behind him and he spun on her. "What do you want!?" he yelled, frustration in his voice and written all over his face. Vulnerability seeped through the sash that covered half of her face and she rubbed her arm, taking a step back. "I thought maybe we could be friends.." she trailed off. "No, we can't be friends. It's just too hard, okay?" He ran from her leaving her standing there bewildered and hurt. "Oh Salem I'm so sorry," she whispered holding back tears.

"Faylin, I dunno about this Lain girl. Something's not quite right about her.." Akira kept pace with Faylin, her arm looped through his as she sought his comfort. "It's like..there's something broken fighting inside of her." Faylin chuckled, "Aren't we the same as her?" Akira's mouth snapped shut as she pondered the thought. "No, no we're not. There's something extremely different..Something wrong." Faylin sighed, "I dunno Kira. Her darkness is stronger than yours and mines both. I understand your worry, believe me I do," he sat down on the ground and motioned for her to sit beside him. "I have every worry that you have if not more." The young heartless girl gave him a funny look. "_'If not more'_? What aren't you telling me Faylin?" Shrugging his shoulders, he simply stated: "It's nothing you need to worry about." "Nothing I need to worry about? One of my best friends was just murdered by the Unbirths, another friend was sent home, the twins are gone, probably dead, every time we face off with the Unbirths our numbers dwindle and we come out totally on our asses damaged near beyond repair, and to top it all off, a new heartless like us shows up barely hours after Gail…And _it's something I don't need to worry about?!_" her voiced cracked on the last word and Faylin just stared at her. "Why Faylin? Why do I not need to worry about?" "It's complicated." "Don't give me that bullshit, our entire existence is complicated.""Akira, please." She threw up her hands in defeat, "Okay Faylin. Don't trust me. You'll tell me when it suits you, I know. I shouldn't have expected anything less of you. You were always one to use words and knowledge to your advantage," she spat at him and he cringed as her words stung him deep. "Akira you're upset about Gai—" "Hell yes I'm upset! I'm confused and lost just like Salem and here you are holding out on us! Salem was right. You don't care about her." She stood up and twisted on her heel, but was stopped by Faylin's hand firmly grabbing hers. "Akira, please. Don't do this." He hung his head as she looked upon him with anger. "Let me go."

His hand fell from hers into his lap. "I can't tell you because you'll tell Salem." Akira stopped, narrowing her eyes. "Tell Salem? What do I have to tell Salem?" "What I'm about to tell you." "I won't tell him, I promise." "Gail..she's..not dead." "I knew it!" Akira yipped with excitement. "Wait, she's Lain isn't she?" Faylin looked at her "Is it that obvious?" "Yeah kind of with the hair and the giant dragon," she mimed flying with her arms. "Salem doesn't suspect, does he?" "Doubtful. He's too overwhelmed with grief to notice that Lain's the heartless of the girl he loves." "Akira, she's not just a heartless, she's a created heartless. You know the ones that are forced into their being instead of being somewhat natural." She laughed a bit, "What's natural about this darkness? And so what?" He shook a smile from his face. "She's unnatural and her body will break down and destroy itself, I believe..With the light that was once there and the darkness, it'll reject it and it'll destroy her." Her mouth fell open, "Are you sure?" "I'm not sure honestly, before her you were the only one like me and I just don't know about what we are and how we're made..But that's the fighting you sense inside of her. I sensed it when she was first changed." "Wait, you said she was changed, Faylin. How?" Faylin sighed and explained it to her and before he knew it, Akira was in his arms crying and saying how sorry she was.

Lain had followed behind Salem to keep an eye on him, but after a few moments, she'd lost sight of him. _Man, here we go again. It's just like the first time we met. _She struggled with the memories as they came and went, bleary with confusion and a light that hurt her head. "Salem?" She called as she came to the gates that guarded Boogies tree house. Beneath the bridge she heard sobbing and so she ran to the center to peer up under it. On a ledge that jutted out from the wall above the water sat Salem with his knees pulled up close to his chest. She flipped into the water and waded up to the ledge and lowered her arms and head into a resting position on the ledge. "Hey." He didn't respond to her, so she tried again: "Hey come on now, please don't cry. I'm sorry you're hurting. If I could fix it I would." Salem raised his head so that he was staring her in the face. "What do you want?" he asked oblivious to what she had just said. "To help." She said quietly, avoiding his gaze. His head fell back onto his knees. "Faylin and Akira seem to be positively thrilled to have you in the group now. It's almost like they've forgot that about 5 hours ago Gail, Faylin's SISTER was murdered by the Unbirths..And here they are throwing away everything for you, a heartless that's doomed forever be exactly that, a heartless." "Salem—" "No don't say my name," he shoved her into the water. "You have no right to the light in this group, no right to me, to Faylin, to Akira, and you especially don't have any damn right to replace Gail!" He jumped down and stood over her as she looked up at him from the water. He lunged downwards and caught her by the throat shoving her head beneath the current.

"You should just..go back to the darkness that you came from." Salem's heart was losing its light and Lain could sense that. As she struggled for breath, her senses grew stronger and the rhythmic beating of his heart echoes in her ears. Hunger built in her throat. "I loved her and here you are replacing her. Why do you cover your eyes?" He asked, his curiosity peeking. Lain opened up her mouth out of reflex and the water crashed down into her lungs. She scratched at his hand but his werewolf strength was too much to overcome as she choked for air. He reached beneath the water and pulled the sash from her eyes. Her eyes snapped shut and she brought her knee between his legs. With a gasp of pain, he staggered off of her and she shot up choking for air. "Bitch!" he yelled summoning his keyblade. "Salem" she choked as water dripped from her brow. "I won't fight you." "That's right! You can't because you're too weak! That's what Faylin and Akira are always going on about! How strong and badass they are but when it really comes down to it they're weak just like you!" He struck her and her head slung to the side; she whimpered in pain as fluid black blood began to seep from a cut on her face. Salem laughed, the darkness now near closing it's grasp on him. "Salem!" Lain screamed, scared he'd lose himself to the darkness. "Look at your keyblade! Look at yourself! Look at your heart!" "Wha-?" "This isn't you! You're sad and broken about your friend, but this isn't you. I know I don't know you but I can sense a brilliant light hidden deep within you, but if you keep this up, you'll lose yourself to the darkness and your light with fade!" He fell back into the water and simply looked at her. Her eyes remained shut as she reached for her sash from his hands, tying it around her eyes once more. He reached out and touched the gash on her face, it was already healing, but he felt so awful. "I'm so sorry." Tears began to flow from his eyes. "I'm so so sorry; I'm just so upset about Gail. I'm so upset I failed her and that she was alone and I could have been there for her and I could have kept her alive." "Shh," Lain said, pulling him into a hug. "I know you're sad. Faylin told me all about it." He cried into her chest and held onto her arms tightly but she didn't mind. "My heart just hurts so badly and I'm sorry I took it out on you." "It's alright," she soothed. "I forgive you."

Faylin led Akira to the destroyed laboratory in search for Jack. They found him sitting beside the doctor with Sally by his side. "Confound it Jack! What happened, I bet it was those bratty kids who ruined my laboratory." "Now Doctor Finklestein, you can't blame—" "Be quiet Sally. If you had brought me a new pair of glasses this mess wouldn't have happened." "I'm sorry," she said in her tiny voice. Jack looked up to see his two heartless friends. "Oh there you are!" Jack skipped over to their side and Faylin cringed at the skeleton as he put a hand on his shoulder. "The Doctors been attacked and his laboratory has been destroyed, and it'll be the darndest thing but he doesn't remember anything that happened!" Faylin's eyes narrowed at the skeleton, "Nothing?" "Nope nothing at all!" Jack threw up his hands up in the air to emphasize his point. "He got hid on the head pretty hard you see and everything's a big blank." Faylin crossed his arms in disbelief. "There's no way." "Actually, there is." The world shifted out of focus and the air seemed to bend as a man in a midnight blue cloak stepped out of nothingness. Jack, Sally, Doctor Finklestein and even Akira swayed with the man's words; "You see young Faylin, the Unbirth control is more powerful than you could have ever imagined. Everything belongs to us and everyone is beneath our influence, even you." Faylin's sword was in his hand within a moment's notice but his hand would not raise and his feet would not take a step forward. The very words that lay buried at the bottom of his throat would not move past his lips. "Don't fight it, you'll only hurt yourself." A smile glimmered from beneath the hood of the cloak. "We take every responsibility for the fall of your precious sister. It was, beneath us to create such a monster, but also too much of a risk to allow her to remain of pure light. We'll be coming for the young Master, or should I say, half baked master in training Salem soon." With small inclined bow, the man was gone, and everything around him focused. A sense of dread formed within the pit of his stomach as his recollected memories faded and he was all but left with a horrible sense of déjà vu and a painful headache. "You alright?" Akira asked as Faylin suddenly turned on his heels and started walking away. "Yeah, just fine. We've got to get out of this world." "Okaaaaayyyyyy." She turned back to wave at the three but they were already gone as she and Faylin walked through the night.

They found Lain and Salem talking with each other as they came upon the bridge to Oogie's tree house. "Well it's about time you two started getting along." Akira smirked as she smiled a reassuring smile at Salem. "Yeah," he hung his head in response, smiling a little bit back at Akira and then a bit more at Lain. "I wasn't very nice to her but she kept on giving me chances, and once I finally took one of those chances, I found out she's really not half bad." Lain punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Half bad? Is that all the credit I get after the shit I dealt with to try and get on your good side?" she barked out a laugh. "Okay that's enough you guys." Faylin gathered them around in a circle and they huddled. "Game plan. Salem, is there any world where you feel completely safe and there is almost no sign of darkness?" "Uh-" "Think about it really hard because we need a place you're going to be entirely safe from the Unbirths." "How about Neverland?"Faylin was drawing a blank to this. "It's an island where kids never grow up! Second star to the right and straight on till morning! Sora told me about it back at the islands." "Yeahhhh I guess that works." "It'll be so cool! I can meet Sora's friends Peter, Tootles, Nibs, Curly, Slightly, and The Twins! We can have fun together and play and fly..Maybe I can get my mind off of Gail for a while whilst you guys are out training…" His voice trailed off and they all stared at him sadly. "Alright, Neverland it is!" Akira piped up to change the mood. "One problem," Faylin laughed, "I have no idea how to get there." "Oh it's like I said, second star to the right and straight on till morning." Salem pointed towards the stars and sure enough, there were two stars that glistened brightly in comparison with the others. "Alrighty, let's go." Faylin opened up a portal and everyone walked through except for Lain. Faylin stepped back out and beckoned her to come with his hand. "It'll be okay sis, don't worry. I promise." She took his hand and they stepped through together, coming out to the infamous Neverland.


	42. Separate ways

**Everyone - Separate ways**

* * *

"Wow, you sure do know how to pick the best places, Salem." Akira said with a big open smile. "I'm really enjoying the beach scene. I didn't get to see much of the beach at Destiny's island 'cause as soon as I woke up we were on our way and kicking ass." She ran around and spun, falling onto the sand. "Ahh it's so warm. Faylin!" She whined. "Can I just stay here and you train Ga—Lain?" He shot her a look in response. "Get up slacker, come on." "Awww mannnn" she whined as she flipped up on her feet "Do I have to go?" Salem looked at his three companions: two familiar and one new. "I hope you guys stay safe during your training. I'll be fine here." Faylin put his hand down on the kids shoulder. "I believe in you kid. It'll be alright and we'll come back for you. Promise." Salem jumped forward and hugged Faylin. Akira was next to join the hug. "I'll miss you guys. Come back soon and in one piece, okay?" "Okay." Akira and Faylin pulled away and smiled down at the boy. They knew his heart of gold and his emotions were real and that he loved them and considered them family. Salem turned to Lain and pointed a finger. "And you come back too! I don't know you but I want to." He ran to her and gave her a brief hug and then jumped back. "I'll see you guys in a week's time!" "Bye Salem!" Akira called as her, Faylin and Lain stepped into a portal and left Salem on the beach all by himself.

As soon as the three heartless stumbled out of the portal, they were hit with a blast of dry air. Sand was whipped into their faces and the heat blasted down on them. "W-where are we?" Akira said skeptically as she tried to cover her eyes. "It looks like we're in the middle of a sandstorm." Lain said simply, waving her hands over her head and around her body; a black circle swirled around her and then expanded to encompass the three. A ball of wind surrounded them and deflected the sand. Lain sat down in the middle. "I'm not moving until this storm lets up." "Fair enough," Faylin said sitting beside her. Half an hour later, the wind had settled down and the sand had fallen back to the ground. Overhead in the sky above them an orange sunset glowed against the pink and red hued clouds. They sat in an empty plain of sand and rocks. "What's that?" Akira said pointing to a faint gleam in the distance. She ran for it and stopped as she came upon it. "Oh my god." Faylin and Lain were hot on her trail and they came to a stop, and just like her, their mouths fell open. Beneath them was a field covered with weapons, darkened by their presence. "Keyblades. This is the keyblade graveyard." "What do you mean Gail?" Akira asked and she suddenly covered her mouth. "It's okay," Faylin said, placing a hand behind her back. "Gail, Akira knows..Salem's the only one who doesn't." "Oh." She said before she continued. "This is part of what I was banished for..For reading information about this place." "Once again, a stupid reason to be banished." Akira shook her head. "Guys I don't think we should mess with this place..Let's look for somewhere else, okay?" "Okay Faylin, Mr. Scaredy pants." Akira smirked. They saw no other way to go so they ventured through the intertwined keyblades until they came into a small opening in a rock formation. They entered it and walked on until they came to a wider canyon and in this canyon danced dozens of tornados in an elegant dance of chaos. "This place is perfect." "You're kidding right?" "Not at all."

It was some day later..

Salem peered through the brush and low and behold the lost treasure chest he had been so desperately searching for was right in front of him now. He looked around to see if the coast was clear before he ran out into broad day light. The sky was a clear blue and in the opening before him sat a little Indian village were the chest laid undisturbed to the side of a tepee. The Indians must be out hunting for the village was deathly quiet, and Salem couldn't hear any of the other lost boys in the area "Finally I win!" Salem cheered triumphantly darted off to claim his prize. Salem heart was pumping with excitement as he ran like a little school boy for Christmas presents. However, his feelings were soon to be soured as an interceptor was soon approaching. A young boy about the same age as Salem came soaring past the keyweilder's ear and sat right on top of the chest before he could even reach it. "Nuh uh uh you're too slow." The boy had red hair and brown mischievous eyes, he wore a green hat with a red feather, emerald shirt, leggings, and a brown belt that carried his pocket knife. He smiled teasingly at the blonde and his pointed ears perked up with amusement. "That is so not even fair Peter, I had it!" Salem threw his hands in the air in irritation but soon smiled at his red headed friend. The two boys laughed and were soon found by the lost boys. "Wow that's a new record!" Nibs said as he pulled his rabbit hoodie loose from a shrub. "Yeah I thought for sure me and the Twins had it this time." Slightly laughed as he joined the group in his fox costume and the twins soon after him in matching raccoon outfits. "What can I say I'm the treasure hunt King." Peter said as he floated in midair in a lounged position thanks to his pixie dust that allowed him to fly. "No I almost had it Peter and you know it. If you didn't cheat all of the time with that stupid pixie dust I would have won no problem!" Salem said as he crossed his arms in front of him. "Oh well look at the new recruit, haven't even been here for a week and he thinks he can take the master." Peter commented just as Cubby fell out of the brush with a loud thud. "ophh" he said as the chubby boy wearing bear skin made impact to the unforgiving grovel. "Has anyone seen Tootles?" Cubby asked as he pitifully picked himself up. "Nuh uh" everyone said in unison. "Whoever finds him first without pixie dust is the new finding champion!" Salem announced as he eyed Peter mischievously. The two rivals eyed one another and fire of determination could be seen in their eyes. "Oh you're so on Rookie!" Peter said and ran to get a head start on the hunt. The lost boys soon dispersed while laughing up a storm and so with this the game began yet again.

This is how Salem had spent the past week here at Neverland. Playing games of adventure, mischief, and childlike shenanigans. After the disaster of Halloween Town and the recruitment of yet another heartless to their group they all came here to this peaceful world. Faylin and Akira both seemed to connect with Lain a lot more than he ever did. However, he wasn't sure if that was because they had more in common with being creatures of darkness, or soon after arriving the three ended up leaving him there that way he would be "safe" while they went and trained the newly born heartless. The whole situation seemed stupid to him. Deep down Salem just wanted to find the Unbirths hideout that way he could finally avenge the twin's death along with Gail's by finally accomplishing their mission. He knew that's what she would have wanted of him but until the others returned there was nothing he could do. Yet again he was under the orders of Faylin and had to stay put, a thought that ignited a fire in his chest of anger. But he tried to push it back as he focused on nothing else but the game. Here there was no troubles, no end of the worlds, no duty, no sadness. Just a stress free island he could explore at will with no one telling him what to do.

_Your running away from your problems here…._He could hear Gail's sweet delicate words in his head as if she were right there beside him and it sent a comforting feeling through his chest. "I am not I'm just waiting on the others to get back then I'll continue to look for that Unbirth lair and I won't quit till I find it." He spoke aloud to ease his damaged soul of his loss of her. He knew it was crazy to do it, but in this way he wasn't alone, this way she was still here with him. _You're getting too attached and you know it. Pretty soon you're not gonna wanna leave for anybody, not even me…_her voice lectured on. A subject he was already well aware of but wasn't willing to admit it to himself. He'd keep on pretending for a moment that this was his life. Not the lonely, dangerous, and dark one that reality provided. In this world he was free of all that, and that freedom was blissful. As he continued to search for his lost friend he began to hear distant screams near the edge of the forest and off a cliff side. Salem pushed through the green foliage in a frantic search for the distress call and eventually reached the forests peak. Over the cliff sides edge Salem could see that the famous bewitched boat, owned by the notorious captain hook, was now just returning to the Neverland waters from whatever air flying adventure the crew had been on. One that probably meant bad news as far as Salem was concerned, and by the sounds of those shrieks and hollers that thought was probably truer than ever. Salem pressed the button on his wardrobe that summoned his armor and transformed his blade, and then flew to the magnificent pirates ship for his first solo rescue mission.


	43. When stories become real

**Salem - When stories become real**

* * *

He flew low to the water's surface to avoid detection from the pumped pirates aboard the eerie vessel. Being as silent as he could muster Salem changed back into his normal attire and climbed over the ships edge behind a bunch of barrels. Thankfully the crew was too distracted by their success to even notice the blondes intrusion upon them. "I've finally done it Smee!" Salem could hear Captain Hook boast to his right hand man Mr. Smee. "This time I'm sure to get rid of that pest Peter Pan once and for all with this." Hook bragged on as he pointed to a knapsack with his hook hand. The sack twisted and jolted as if an animal were inside. _Or a person, _Salem thought as he suddenly realized that the girlish shrieks were coming from the sack. "With Wendy here as bait I will lure that brat right to his DOOM once and for all!" He cheered as the rest of the crew hooped and hollered in reply. "Yes captain, you are so smart." Mr. Smee grinned in a non-malicious way. Salem never understood how someone who was so good natured could be serving under such a black hearted man. But then again who was he to judge. He practically took orders from a heartless which was just about the same thing. He thought bitterly. "Yes, yes I know." The Captain grinned happily. "Now quick Mr. Smee, summon….the beast" Hook said in a dark voice that sent chills down the blondes back. He watched from his hiding place as Mr. Smee cheerfully threw overboard left over fish guts, and the crew went about dangling the girl in the sack over the murky water. Everyone on board waited eagerly for the beast Hook had mentioned to peek its ugly head. Everyone except Salem who was panicking behind the barrels at this point, "They are gonna kill her if I don't do something quick!" he whispered to himself. But with so many men on board, if he were to poke his head out now they would just skewer him then the girl right after. "No." he thought to himself. "Running in like an idiot isn't going to work this time….I need a distraction…but what?" Just then as if to answer his prayers. A red headed boy in green came souring in alarming speeds letting out a rooster crow. A glint in Salem's eye glistened as he smiled with his ingenious plan. "Peter." Was all he said as the blonde used the ginger's entrance as the perfect decoy to sneak past the pirates and free the young maiden before the beast devoured her whole.

"Hey you old Codfish!" Peter pan teased as he flew between the ropes of the Mast and sails. All the while making things challenging for the pirates aboard who were trying to whack away at the boy. However, the boy was skilled in the art of sword fight, and flight. Two things that excelled past the pirates and as a result they looked like chumps in comparison. Captain Hook watched in irritation at his supposedly malicious and capable crew be out done by a mere child and sighed. "Come 'er boy I have a surprise for you." He said as he spoke to Peter calmly. "Awe for me?" Peter chimed as he spun around a rope by his leg. "Why you shouldn't have." By this time Salem had managed to climb to the top of the sail where the girl was dangling, and was still unnoticed by the rest down below. "You see," Hook continued as he polished his metal hook steadily. "I have a little…friend of yours." Peter's face twisted in confusion as Hook's sneered evilly. "Who?" "Why….Wendy of course." And that response instantly sparked a fire within Peter. Salem wasn't sure who "Wendy" was, but she had to be someone important to ignite Peter's carefree nature. So as Salem reached the knot that held her up he began to untie her swiftly so he could bring her to the boat and prevent anything bad from happening. _If she's important to a friend than she's important to me, _Salem thought as the knot grew weaker from his swift work. "You let her go you black hearted scoundrel!" Peter fired back and dashed swiftly toward the foul Captain in a fierce sword fight. "You want her?" Hook said, obviously getting a kick out of the boy's distress. "Go GET her!" and then Hook slung his sword toward the rope Salem was desperately trying to untie, and the blade sliced right through the thin fiber. The sack went hurdling down towards the dark water abyss and from it large tentacles that could have stretched out across the length of the whole ship reached upward to catch its incoming meal. "NO!" Peter shouted in terror and dove in after her, along with a little pixie right after him. Salem froze from atop the Mast in sheer terror. He had failed; he couldn't save either one of them in time. Yet again his attempts to do something heroic were futile. "No…" his voice quivered with grief as he watched down below the struggle between the boy and the octopus. A battle that looked very one sided from Salem's perspective, however not much more could be seen because the Kraken had sprayed his ink making visibility impossible.

However, the feelings down on deck were completely opposite from the key blader "M-Mr. Smee?" Hook uttered, barely able to call upon his trusty right hand man. "Y-y-yes? Captain?" "….I did it….I finally got rid of that pesky Peter Pan." The old man cheered as excitement and joy overtook him. The Crew bellowed a manly hooray as the ink down below dispersed further out into the ocean and the young boys green hat floated atop his watery grave. "You'll pay for this you cod fish!" Salem hollered and had now blown his cover. "What's this? The little sparrow thinks he can avenge his rooster friend?" Hook sneered in amusement. The crew began climbing up towards the boy with evil intent glistening off their eyes. Salem summoned his blade and prepared his fighting stance. "Bring it!" he cried as he prepared for the oncoming onslaught of pirates. The first brigand was very tall and buff and reminded Salem of a big ape as he climbed up the rope like stairs. The man used his larges hands to lift him up upon the mask and grinned at Salem. "You shoulda nev'a come er' boy." He said in a deep voice as he rose his hand in an attempt to club him with it. Salem however was used to taking on opponents larger than him and was already sizing the brut up. However, right before the first blow was made something caught all of the men's attention. Amongst all of the commotion The redheaded hero had risen from the murky waters with the large sack in hand. He crowed victoriously and his smile beamed down at the surprised crew and Captain. "P-p-p-Peter Pan?" Hook's jaw practically dropped as he witnessed the young boy fly above the water. "Can't get rid of me that easily Hook!" Peter laughed. Not too long after Tinker Bell flew above the water and looked as if she was sprinkling her fairy dust over the water. "What on earth?" Salem spoke to himself and as if on cue the giant sea beast that threatened the damsel in distress before, was now floating above the dark water. The crew down below shook in fear at the sight and right as the cracken became even with tip of the vessel the tricky pixie cut off her supply of fairy dust. With that the monster came crashing down with a loud screech on none other than the cod fish himself. Salem grimaced at the sight of the once intimidating man being devoured right before his eyes. The thought of such a end causing his stomach to revolt from within him.

However, Hook would not be defeated that easily, and with a panicked scream for his right hand man and frightened struggle he escaped the beasts mouth. The creature's eyes sparked with new interest as he gazed at the Captain hungrily. He licked his lips and began moving closer to Hook in an attempt to have a second taste of the code fish. "SMMMEEEEE!" Hook bellowed as the beast wrapped its long tentacles around his lanky body and began pulling on the man, who in turn ripped his pants clean off to reveal nothing but his underpants. A rush of adrenaline kicked in the old man's body as he clung desperately to the side of the ship. "SMMEEEE! HELP ME!" He pleased yet again, only for a side of the vessel to break off from the tension and for the captain to be sent flying to the other side of the ship. The kraken was now in the water as he continued to drag Hook underneath to finish him as a snack. Hook used his legendary hook to keep him upon the wooden safety of the plank, but his efforts were futile as the creature drug him under. "Hang on captain! h-e-er-r-e I C-c-c-om-e-e" Smee said in a wobbly voice as he tried to help his beloved captain from upon the shaking plank. If there was any pity in Salem's heart it was definitely spent on this one man as Hook was catapulted back and forth from the water then face first into the wooden plank. Once submerged yet again in the water with the beast he returned yet again only this time entangled by the creatures large tentacles that tried to suffocate the man. Hook stretched his body in protest and as a result, his body was sent flying through the air like a rocket launcher. He broke through the plank and sent Smee flying with him as the two soared through the air later crash through the brig with a loud bang.

"Mr. Smee? Go and fix the plank...so I can MAKE YOU WALK IT!" Captain Hook screamed in anger as Mr. Smee ran away in fear as a result. The captain came topside from the vessels basement corridors to reveal a tattered grumpy old man. A sight both Peter and Salem couldn't help but laugh at and the two flew off to a nearby rock. Salem by aircraft, and Peter by magic. Wendy was struggling and grunting from within the knapsack and fought against Peter as he tried to free her from her prison. "Easy does it Wendy" Peter said with a grin "You shoulda seen Hook's face when I-" *SMACK* Salem was blown back from the sight. Peter flew back through the air yelping at the impact landed on his face. The sack fell to the ground to revel a young girl with hair that was golden blonde that cropped around her face. Her eyes a delicate blue as they squinted from the pain she had now in her hand from the punch. Her clothes were a long lavender night gown with a deeper purple cardigan around her shoulders. Peter flew back through the air yelping at the impact landed on his face. She kissed her hand in an attempt to ease the pain. Her clothes were a long lavender night gown with a deeper purple cartigan around her shoulders. Peter flew in hiding underneath the rock from the violent girl and Salem let out a chuckle. "You'd think she would be more thankful for her rescuer" he made a snide comment as the young girl jumped at the sound of Salem's voice. Peter took advantage of the girl's distraction and flew up into her face to get a closer look at his Wendy. _For people who know each other they sure don't act like it, _Salem thought to himself as he crossed his arms in confusion. The girl moved away fearfully from the red headed boy as he examined her and she almost fell of the rock if Peter hadn't of pulled her back up. She gazed up at him with pure astonishment in her eyes "Peter...pan?" she gasped as she rubbed her eyes, as if not believing what they were seeing. "You're sure not Wendy." Peter said as he rubbed his hurt jaw. "Well then who is she?" Salem spoke as the suspense behind the mysterious new comer was killing him. Tinker bell flew to her face as well, her pixie dust causing her tiny body to sparkle and glow in front of the young girl. She opened her blue eyes and exclaimed "Tinker bell?" "So you guys do know each other then right?" Salem spoke as he glanced over at Peter who shrugged his shoulders in reply. The mysterious girl however was completely ignoring them as she somehow convinced herself she was in some kind of dream. "You're not real." she sassed up at Peter only to be interrupted by a flying cannon ball coming right for them.

Salem twisted his scooter out of the way as the iron ball shot its way past the young teenagers and their fairy friend. "YOU DOUBLE CROSSING PIP SQUEAK! COME BACK HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!" Captain Hook could be heard from his vessel further out to sea as he threatened Peter and Salem to come back for a rematch. The two boys laughed at the mans futile efforts in regaining the little dignity he had left. "Come and get us you old cod fish!" Salem yelled back while Peter let loose his famous rooster crow as a taunt. The red head then picked up the young girl and began to take her away from the scene. All the while having her scream in fear from the sudden lift off. The blond merely laughed at the childlike shenanigans and called out "Guess this means you forfeit the game huh!" The red head circled back with the girl having a death grip on his neck. It didn't phase him however and he yelled back with a laugh "You win this round sparrow! Go find Tootles and when you do I'll meet you at the tree house!" Peter smiled happily as he Tink, and the new girl left to explore the island. Or at least that's what Salem assumed anyway.


	44. Remembering you

**Salem - Remembering you**

* * *

Salem soared between the trees of the jungle that engulfed Neverland. "TOOTLES! TOOTLES!...Where are ya buddy?" he shouted as he searched for the young boy. Tootles was the youngest of the group and like his brethren wore animal skin as clothing. Only his animal was the skunk. Unlike the stereotypical qualities of the animal, Tootles was beloved by all. His face chubby with baby fat and sprinkled with freckle. He never talked much, if at all from what Salem could recall, but that didn't matter. He'd find him regardless and the group would play treasure hunt once more. A never-ending game was the lost boys were all about, never growing old on this mystical island, never taking on life's stress as is normally destined for anyone outside this blessing. _Come to think of it...where do i come from anyway?_ Salem's scooter came to a sudden halt as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He could remember the places he had seen. The scary ghouls of Halloween town, the white beaches of Destiny Islands, even the giant gladiator statues of Olympic Coliseum. _But what came before that?_ he thought to himself. He tried to pull the memory back up from the depths of his mind but nowhere could he recall his origins. _Where did I grow up? Have I always been a keyblader? Do I have any friends there? What do my parents look like? Do I even HAVE any?_ He grasped his blonde hair in frustration. "What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember anything?" he asked to no one but himself.

It was then that he heard women's laughter nearby and water splashing. "What on earth?" he said as he jumped off his scooter to further investigate. He pushed through the foliage of the jungle to reveal that over the cliff side was a gathering of girls swimming around. "Huh, guess it can't hurt to see if they know where Tootles is." he said with a cocky grin and began to descend to where the girls were enjoying the waters touch. He jumped with great ease from one rock to the other, being careful not to fall and embarrass himself in front of them. "Hello ladies." He said with a charming smile. The girls gasped in surprise about the same time Salem did. The closer he got the more he realized that these were no mere ordinary girls. Their hair was decorated with sea shells and starfish. Their bare chest covered by very little articles of the sea, and further bellow their legs were replaced by a fish tale that gleamed in the summer sun. "You're...mermaids?" Salem said in shock. The mermaids looked at one another mischievously. "Why of course we are mermaids." The blonde spoke up. She wore a white flowered necklace around her to cover her up and had orange starfish in her hair. "Who are you?" Another mermaid spoke up with red hair that hung over her shoulders majestically. "Oh, I'm Salem, otherwise known as the sparrow to the lost boys and all of my enemies. Along with being a keyblader and hero of the worlds." He said trying to impress the young water maidens. It worked "Wow you're a lost boy?" another red head chimed in only hers was up into a pony tail. "And a hero no less." Another mermaid with long black hair spoke in angelically as she gazed up at Salem. Her eyes sparkling like amber up at him as she caressed his arm affectionately. His face grew warm and red from display and he chuckled awkwardly. "umm...yeah have you guys seen Tootles anywhere around?" "Tootles? Who is that? I've only seen you here today." The blonde now was to his other side, holding his arm seductively and brought him down in a sitting position. One mermaid with red hair and a gold like decoration in her hair traced her finger on Salem's chest flirtatiously "Do you have a girlfriend sparrow?" she said with hypnotically lovely tone. In the back of Salem's mind he could see the silhouette of a girl from a memory that was slowly fading. He could tell that she had long flowing white hair and blue eyes. But the details themselves were fuzzy as if he were looking at her through flexiglass. Whoever she was he could feel that he cared for her, but he couldn't put a finger on who she was. "Nope not me." he said with a smile as he mentally shoved the unsettling feeling away. "Oh really? Well why don't you stay here with us and keep us company with stories of your adventures." she said pleadingly. "Oh yes please!" "I want to hear!" "Stay with us Salem" the girls chimed with excitement and seduction. Their words pulled him closer to the stone and made his body feel like lead. "No no I can't I'm sorry. Perhaps another time, right now I have to go find Tootles." Salem said as he tried to release himself from their mesmerizing cries. "But you can't!" they cried, now grasping him more harshly as he tried to stand back up. "Don't leave us here, tell us a story Salem!" _I always wanted girls to be all over me but this is ridiculous_ he thought to himself as the sirens pulled at his clothing. He summoned his keyblade forth in a flash of light that surprised the mermaids and caused them to jump back into the water for safety. He swiftly jumped upon his vessel before they could retaliate any further. "Perhaps another time ladies." he said with a charming grin of his own and flew off to continue his search. The mermaids all looked at each other in disappointment as he flew off. But at least now they had something new to fantasize and gossip about.

"Where the hell is that little guy?" Salem spoke to himself as he continued on with his search. He had searched everywhere on the island but nowhere was the little skunk to be found. "unless..." Salem then made a hard right and began to fly off the sandy beaches of Neverland to a rocky place just outside the gulf. "I still haven't tried Dead Man's Cave yet." he said as he pushed his scooter faster, causing sea salt from the ocean to spray upwards from his speed. He twisted and bended around the traitorous rocks that sprouted themselves out of the waters depths effortlessly and eventually made it to the entrance of the cave. The cave was an eerie place to be and was one of the few places Salem hated going to. The sea cavern was in the shape of a human's skull that seemed to scowl down maliciously to any visitors. The holes were the eye sockets would be, were dark and menacing. Even the water surrounding the chamber seemed darker as it crashed upon the rocky setting. The blonde looked around wearily with his sea green eyes and began to explore the haunting rock in search of his friend. "Tootles?" his voice echoed off the hallow granite. "TOOTLES? The sound bounced off more violently and a fleet of bats came screeching out of the cavern in fright. "Holy shit!" Salem yelped as he plunged into the shallow water to escape the aerial attack. Once the close was clear he jumped up and spit out the algae covered water from his mouth. "Ew gross." he protested but then focused again on the task at hand. In the back of his head he could hear laughter from a memory long ago. He could remember running into a cob web in Halloween town and his friends laughing at him playfully because of it. "What were their names again?" He focused hard on the memory trying to picture their faces. He could see bits and pieces of them in his mind's eye. An older girl with black and blonde short hair, another girl with green eyes, a man with an eye patch, and another girl. It was the girl he saw before when the mermaids asked about a present girlfriend. He tried so hard to see her face, so hard to recognize all of them. But like before his memory was nothing more but a fog. He could only see shapes and figures, never the full detail of the picture.

In the middle of his intense thought process he could hear a baby struggling taking place from within the dreadful cavern. He soon snapped out of it and brought forth his keyblade. As he had done before in previous times he used his blade as a vessel to shine his light at the very tip like a torch. The once dark and damp cave now lit up from the illumination and he now see where it was coming from. in the top right hand corner he could see Tootles caught between two rocks. His black and white tail snagged between the granite like trap. He waved his hands to Salem in hopes that the blonde could see him from way up there. "Don't worry little guy! I'm coming to get you!" he said with a smile. Tootles clapped his hands with joy and Salem hovered up towards the skunk for a rescue mission. However that was easier said than done. As Salem approached the rocky crevice the young male was stuck in he found that his scooter was unable to fly in there. He tried to step out onto the rock and climb up to the boy but the granite proved to be too slippery from algae to try. "Hmm...This might be a bit harder than i thought." Salem spoke as he was trying to come up with a way to save Tootles. He looked up at the trapped child to see Tootles trying to tell him something. He began to flap his arms in the air to signal him to fly up there. "Oh no not this again. You know as well as I do I'm not very good at flying." It was true, granted the problem wasn't that he didn't believe hard enough, in fact, that was the very problem. Because he had such strong faith he could fly faster than anyone, to the point that he had no self control of where he was going. So to avoid further collisions with rocks, trees, and other painful objects he had always stuck with his scooter. Tootles put up his hands in a pleading notion for the blonde to try anyway. His brown eyes almost looked like they were starting to tear up he wanted freedom so badly. Salem shook his head and sighed loudly. "Fine ill give it a whirl." and began to focus on the task at hand. He closed his eyes and began to think happy thoughts, small happy thoughts, _like finding a dollar on the ground, then spending said dollar on a lottery ticket, then what if it was the winning ticket and I became a billionaire! I'd be so rich and have adoring fans and women all over me and_."OUCH!" Salem let out a yelp as yet again he had gotten too excited and smacked the cavern with his head. Tootles shook his head and his facial expression read "you did it again Salem" however at the moment Salem didn't care. He yanked the young boy's tail free from its imprisonment and smiled down at him "Hey I got you out didn't I?" he laughed playfully and the young Tootles clapped his hands with happiness. He then hugged Salem around the neck and began to fly out of the scary cave. More than likely back to the hideout with the rest of the lost boys.

Salem eased down from the crevice and flew out of the cave without the use of his keyblade like vehicle. He calmed his thoughts and began to hover over the open sea just as the other lost boys did on a daily basis. "Hey I'm actually doing it!" he said with glee and suddenly picked up pace. "NO NO NO NO!" Fear of losing control shot through his system and he came to a sudden stop. "Huh...not bad" he said with a smile and began to fly back to the hideout. He laughed with merriment as he stroked a rainbow colored waterfall as he came over a canyon on the way. _I can't wait to get back to the guys...I wonder what happened to that weird girl from this morning?_ And almost as if on cue Salem looked down to see the young girl walking aimlessly through the woods towards the beach. "Huh, I wonder what she's up to." he said as he began to descend upon the distressed maiden. "I have to get home as soon as possible to make things right." she said as she pushed onward through the rugged wood. She looked deeply distraught as she carried on upon her mission. Salem then eased down towards her and grabbed her jacket. Which in turn caused an immediate reaction and she smacked Salem in the face. "Ouch!" he squinted in pain. "Peter was right that DOES hurt." the blonde said as he held his now reddening cheek. "Oh my goodness I'm so sorry. You startled me." she said as she came to Salem's aide. "Wait a second, you're that other boy that saved me from that pirate ship. What was your name again?" she spoke with an accent Salem didn't quite recognize and it grabbed his attention instantly. "It's Salem, Salem Moss...and your name?" she giggled shyly and curtsied for him "My name is Jane Darling." "Well, miss Darling, what are you doing going through the forest alone like this? It's not safe for you out here." Salem said in a caring tone. Jane darted her eyes to the ground as if the thought brought back her troubles. "I'm trying to find a way back home." "Why on would you want to do that?" Salem was flabbergasted "Do you not like it here or something?" "No no no it's nothing like that...it's just...I have a baby brother back home." "So? You have a mom to take care of him right? Don't worry about it he'll be fine. Why go back when you can stay here and never have to worry about a thing." Salem said as he held her hand in a comforting matter. "No you don't understand!" she pulled her hand away and bit her lip in anxiety. "It's no longer safe for him there. The Germans are constantly bombing our city to the point the government is taking all of the children to the country side. If I don't go back he will be all alone. I made a promise to protect him and mother..." she looked down at the ground as if recalling the memory. There was something about what she said that seemed so familiar. Someone to protect, his duty, a promise...


	45. Falling

**Akira, Faylin, Gail - Falling**

* * *

Over the course of the next few days the three practiced their fighting abilities together, Lain's strength forever increasing as they fought the monsters that rained out of the tornadoes She found that her light had completely faded and had been engulfed by the darkness that pumped throughout her body. With this new darkness came a new strength: she was more agile and flexible, her speed and strength were vastly greater, and what had once been magical tactics of pure light were now magic of the darkest nightmare. What she had once used as her weapon, a short sword of fine silver, she now favored two dual tactical double edged swords. They were about the length of her arm and she held them like a master. The blades were black and the edges were ridged. The handle was black metal wrapped in black silk and the actual blade came to a fine point with a lighter gray color for the edge. As she fought off the hoards of monsters that came after her, Faylin and Akira sat quietly off to the side. "She's like an entirely different person!" Akira boomed, flailing her arms for emphasis. "One day we have nice sweet Gail who's delicate, a pansy, and an all around goody two shoes..And then bam! We have this badass heart devouring killing machine named Lain, the leftovers of your sister, and it's just like wham wham wham!" Faylin chuckled. "She takes after her big brother." His thumb smashed into his chest as he motioned to himself. "She's freaking crazy. Kinda like Jessamine but nicer." She shoved him. "And besides, she totally got that viciousness from me. What are you talking about Mr. '_guys I'm scared, let's not mess with the keyblade graveyard._'" "I didn't say that." "Might as well have you big pansy!" she punched him in the shoulder and he just smiled. Lain fell on her hands and twisted her legs up into the air; she created a dark vortex of wind with the motion and the other tornados were sucked into the vortex, temporarily combining with her power. As she brought her legs to the ground, the dark vortex rose into the sky and with a strike of purple lightning straight down the center, the winds let off and the vortex was gone-leaving a clear empty canyon and a light cloud of dust.

Akira clapped and cheered. "Dude, even as a heartless you're still badass as fuck. You think you can still teach me your magic?" "Of course!" Lain chimed in with a smile. "I'll be happy to help you now that I'm similar to you…Just let me figure out how to get the magical energy all back under my control." She paused, sitting down in front of the two and crossing her legs. "See there's two types of magic, obviously: Light magic and dark magic. I'm accustomed to the light so harnessing the power of the dark is..Difficult. My natural opposite has become my natural power! It is crazy insane, but I'm sure with time I'll be able to fully use it to my advantage." She flicked Akira on the nose. "And so will you." She smiled and the three laughed together.

"Well I think tomorrow we should be able to regroup with Salem." Lain started only to be interrupted by Faylin. "Hold your shit little sis, I dunno about that." Her eyes narrowed "What do you mean you don't know? I've pretty well gotten my powers under control and I know what I'm doing." "Yeah but you're still a noob at this. Akira was at least a month into her heartless life when I found her and she was bat shit crazy. You know she tried to attack me cause I reminded her of Warren?" "Heh, that was a bad time of my life you know." She punched him again but this time it was meant to hurt; he cringed. "Anyways, we have no idea whatsoever what will happen once you and Salem start hanging around each other and start spending a lot of time together. So far he's the only human with a heart you've come in contact with and I don't know if you've got enough control over that desire yet to be near him." Akira popped into the conversation to back him up. "Ol' Fay Fay has been doing this for years, so he's got in pretty much under control. I've been doing it for months and still here and there I slip up and mess up really bad. You're new at this and have no idea about how much control it takes and we want to best protect you and the people you love." Lain pouted. Truth be told she really missed Salem; he'd been her first real friend outside of the castle walls. He'd wanted to explore the world and become they keyblade master he was destined to be, and he'd over time grown to want to do it by her side. When she felt lost he'd helped her through the bad times. He'd tried so hard so many times to get her to smile. His heart was so pure and so gentle and she knew that he was hurting and there was nothing more that she wanted than to go to him and pull him into her arms. She knew however that that was not likely to happen: he had to believe she was gone for the time being so that she could get herself under control. If he knew she was Lain, he wouldn't allow her to be far apart from him. He'd want to keep her by his side so that he could always be watchful of her and protect her. He had some hero complex that he had to save everyone no matter the cost and she knew she'd let him down. She sighed. "Okay, Faylin. Whenever you think I'm ready to go back, we'll go back then." She stood up and walked off, disappointment clear on her face.

She walked in the opposite direction of the keyblade graveyard and past where they had been training until she came upon the exit of the canyon. It curved around pillars and off the side was a huge plummet to the bottom of the gorge. Standing at the edge of the trail she sat down and kicked her legs against the steep rock side of the path. _They're wrong you know._ Salem's voice echoed inside her head. His cries so loud and so full of pain. His eyes flashed in her mind and the blue green glistened with tears. Lain's head fell into her hands. "Oh Salem, I'm so sorry I've hurt you. I didn't mean to, honest." "Of course you did." Out of nowhere fell the man with the midnight blue cloak; he'd visited her in the cave when she'd first awoken. Lain was too weary to move and as he observed her, he sat down beside her but instead of kicking his legs, he folded them beneath him. "You could have prevented it. You weren't strong enough and as a result of that, the hurt the young keyblade master has undergone is your fault." "How can you say that?" "Easily; if you had been stronger you could have prevented his anguish." He paused, thoughtful. "I can teach you how to be that strong child. I can even help you get your heart back." He extended his hand and pulled her hands into his. "I can help you become what he needs." "You're an Unbirth, right?" "I am." "Then why the hell would I trust you? All you people do is destroy lives and uproot hearts. You're monsters." The cloaked man laughed. "We're the monsters? Look at you! You've not a heart and all you want in life now is to devour the sweet savor of the hearts of others. You've become a hunter and those beneath you your prey."

Lain stood up and she flung her hand across her body bringing it down by her side in a fist. "You're wrong! You don't know!" He was in her face the next instance. "Your undying love for him will be the end of both you and him!" "No!" She shoved him but he vanished beneath her fingertips, reappearing down the path. He laughed menacingly; "You could have accepted my offer. Now I'll take you and the young master for my own. He shall become a puppet of the dark just like you!" Lain's body collapsed beneath her and it seemed like the weight of the world had been piled on her body. "No..Salem..Fay..Ak." her hand scratched at the ground as the pressure became too much and she choked out air. The hooded man came to her and scooped her up in his arms. "Now to dispose of the other two."

Black and white thorns shot up out of the ground and grasped at Faylin's and Akira's limbs. The thorns prickled at their skin and drew blood. They let out gasps as the thorns circled their bodies and threw them against the canyon walls. The thorns threw them around in the air and slung them up and down. Akira cried out in pain and Faylin mimed reaching out to her before his arm was drawn back against him by the thick swirl of the thorns. The hooded man appeared in front of them and the conscious Lain lay there with her will crushed in his arms. "Where is the keyblade master?" the man's voice boomed. Lain's eyes begged them to not tell him anything. He flicked his hand and the thorns fell away from the two heartless' bodies and they fell to the ground choking for air and holding the pricks that leaked blood. "Come on now, I don't have all day. We need some proper motivation." He tossed Lain on the ground and her body began to convulse as she screamed out in pain. "I took her away from you once, do not think for a moment I won't take her away again. "Don't tell him!" She screamed between gasps and cries of pain. The two heartless called out both of her names and tried to reach for her but were only held down by the force of the Unbirths will. "Tell me or I'll kill her and then I'll take your precious lover away." You could see his smile beneath the shadow of his hood. "Pity it'd be to watch the two women you love die beneath your hands." "What do you mean?" Faylin choked out. With a casual glance at Akira, Faylin's body was out of his control and his hands were going around her throat. "Faylin..Stop" she gasped for air. "I mean you'll kill your lover just as you killed Jessamine in your past." Faylin's eyes went wide with horror and shock and Akira looked upon him pained. "Fay…please you can control it..Please don't.." his grip tightened on her throat and she coughed. "Now, how about some answers?" Faylin's eyes shifted to Lain and they looked at each other in horror.

"Goddamnit, fine I'll tell you! Just don't hurt them, please." Faylin cried and the man's grip on the three dropped instantaneously. "That's more like it." He kicked Lain and she rolled into Faylin's arms. She scrambled against him and pleaded with him to not say anything. "He's in Neverland." "No! No he's not there I promise he's not Faylin's lying to distract you from his true location." "A lie? Let's see." Regaining his mental grip on the three, their bodies fell to the ground. He waved his hand in front of him and out of the air came a stroke like that of a paint brush and displayed upon the stroke was the young Salem laughing and flying, stroking a rainbow colored waterfall as he came over a canyon. "Definitely a lie." He laughed and snapped his fingers; something cracked within Akira and Faylin and they collapsed behind Lain with a sickening thud. He came to her and stroked her chin. "Now that I'm rid of your friends, you're coming with me and together we shall bring the young master to our cause."

Lain could feel a firm grip closing in on her mind and she could feel her memories and control slip from her. He was going to make her into an empty lifeless doll for him to control like he had with Lia and Loe. He was going to make her a puppet like Warren and he would become the puppet master. _You know, I'm so tired. So, so tired of being tossed around by these Unbirth guys. I've lost friends and I've died, and out of death I came back as a powerful heartless...And what kind of friend am I if I let this man kill off the people who've become my family and hurt the ones I love? He was right, I really am weak._ The grip tightened and she lost herself a bit more, her body collapsing further into the ground and her arms her only support. _I may not be of the light any more..and I may be alone right now, but it's my friends who have kept me strong. Faylin, Akira, Salem, Lia, Loe, Blare..They were all so brave in the fight against the Unbirths, and here I am: what they want and they think they can just bully me and my friends around..Well I've got news for them, they're so wrong. _She could feel the fading life forces of Faylin and Akira behind her. _They're so strong._ She smiled. _They never give up. Who am I kidding myself, my friends are my power._ As the Unbirth made the final move to take her humanity away from her, she let herself fade. Out of her chest tentacles of light and dark shot forth and knocked the Unbirth away from her. The light attacked him and surrounded him and the dark gently wrapped itself around her friends as it began to mend their bodies. The Unbirth fought of the light, drawing his hand in patterns to prevent damage. The light was ultimately doing nothing but pushing him and his will away from the three. Akira and Faylin were pulled up by the darkness and their bodies were healed. They fell beside Lain and pulled her up on her feet.

"Come on let's go get Salem and hide!" Faylin called into her ear. She shook her head and closed her eyes, opening them up to reveal no color, just white. She lifted her hands up and pushed flat palms against the light and the man was knocked from the scene and back into his nothingness. Lain collapsed against Faylin and she glared at the spot where the man had been moments before. Faylin was staring at her and she smiled weakly at him. He opened up a portal but found that it was blocked. "Goddamnit, they're blocking the paths between the worlds to keep us here." "We've got to get to Salem!" Akira cried. Lain sighed and pushed her hands against the portal, "Here," she pulled at the paths with her mind and they split open momentarily. "Go! Get in!" the two heartless ran in before her and she proceeded afterwards, but she was held between the paths. She wasn't strong enough to hold it open for herself and she could feel her body breaking beneath the fold of darkness. Akira and Faylin had made it to the other side but she would remain trapped. _Salem._ She thought as the darkness collapsed around her. The light within her soul clashed against the darkness and she was stuck between the blunt edge of both sides. _Salem, find me please. _She let go and succumbed to the twilight.


	46. Undying and overcome

**Everyone - Undying and overcome**

* * *

A voice rang in his head, a familiar voice. _You have to leave too Salem, the worlds need you, Twilight Town needs you, I NEED you!_ Her voice pleaded in his head and her warmth filled his heart. "Gail?" "excuse me?" Jane looked at him with wildly puzzled eyes but he was to lost in thought. His mind was being flooded. He could see Gail in his mind's eye, the gorgeous round face she had that bared sparkling blue eyes. All of which framed by flowing curly white hair that caught the sunlight and shown brilliantly. He could see Twilight Town from visions of his childhood, scenes of his parents raising him, the kids he used to play with, the day Master Yen Cid sent him out on their mission. The mission that had brought the two unlikely souls together. How beautiful she looked then, and how terrible the fire looked from where he stood helplessly after her death. He clutched his chest in pain at the memory. "Are you alright?" Jane asked now at the boy's aid. "Yeah yeah, i just...need to go home too." he looked up at the young girl and smiled at her. He held her close and the girl shriveled up in his arms from awkwardness. "Thank you so much." he said as he ran through the wood to the beach the heartless dropped him off at. "I'm so sorry Gail, I don't know how I could ever forget you. But don't worry I'm going to set things right, right now!" he said aloud to her, wherever she maybe as he approach the sandy beach. "If i start here maybe I can sense their darkness or something and figure out where they went!" he said as he hopped upon his scooter and hit the button on his torso that activated his armor. However, none of it was necessary. Right as Salem was about to take off to figures popped out of a dark portal that looked to be strained just to open for them. They rolled out of the vortex and into the finely ground white sand . "Ugh I'm so tired of them always getting the better of us." "Where is she?" both of them shot up from their defeated positions and Salem recognized them instantly. "AKIRA! FAYLIN!" The two heartless turned around to see Salem in his armor and scooter. "And where exactly are you going?" Akira asked as she crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. Salem deactivated his armor and ran straight for her first. "Well no where now." he laughed and gave her a big hug. The two laughed and Faylin teased the blonde's hair affectionately. "I'm glad to see your okay." he said calmly. "Same for you two!" Salem cheered, but then began to look around curiously. "Where is Lain?" the two heartless' eyes grew wide as they looked at the other hoping someone knew of her whereabouts. However, neither one was able to give any answers. The portal that they had come from wavered and sparked uncontrollably. It was as if the light and dark were rubbing against one another and cause friction between the two elements. _Oh God no she's still in their somewhere_ Salem thought in a panic as all of the color in his face washed away. However, there was a burn in his chest that wiped away all fear. His heart knew what he had to do, and he was going to do it without fear. "I'll be right back!" Salem shouted as he pressed the button for his armor and dove into the dangerous abyss. He could hear both heartless cry out in protest but as they tried to enter the light that emitted from the portal sent shock waves through their dark body. Their skin sizzled upon impact and they both sat there on the sandy beach absolutely powerless to stop the keyblader, or save the mage deep within.

As Salem hovered through the dark wisps of the abyss he could feel a tugging in his heart. Something deep within him was guiding him through the treacherous terrain and soon led him to where she laid. It was where the source of all the chaos laid and within this twilight she laid in a broken state of mind. Her body twitched in pain and his heart broke for her. He scooped her up in his arms and began to take her back. However, something strange happened. She opened her eyes just barely to see who it was and a weak smile developed on her face. Her voice barely a whisper as she spoke "You came for me" "Of course I did." he said in response, trying to smile back at her to not worry her about her condition. She eased her hand up, a tasked that looked painful to do, and gently touched his chest. A bright light shown from her hand and Salem gawked in amazement at what he saw. "I knew you would come to save me." she whispered as she smiled up at him, a familiar smile, Gail's smile. Lain's appearance melted away at the power of the bright light from Salem's heart and uncovered the beautiful white mage underneath. "Oh my god...Gail?" his arms began to shake at the weight of her body and his now uncontrollable emotions. "Shhh shhh its okay. I've missed you too." she said as her hand fell back down to her side and she once again took the appearance of Lain as she slept unconscious in his arms. Salem didn't know what to believe anymore, was that really her? or just an illusion. He had imagined her so much that he wasn't sure if it was just the trick of the lighting affecting him yet again. _Either way, I know EXACTLY who to ask_ Salem thought as he approached the exit portal that lead back to Neverland. He gathered all of his light to his right foot and kicked the doorway harshly. The sheer force of such pure light on an already unstable gateway proved to be very affective and the lock from before broke into a million pieces. Faylin and Akira stood in awe as the young Keyblade Master walked out of the Twilight unscathed by the chaos. Holding heroically, the small Lain in his arms...or maybe perhaps, his long lost Gail back from the dead.

As soon as the portal snapped shut behind him, Salem fell to his knees and Lain's fragile body shook lightly in his arms. Faylin and Akira were by his side in a second, and Faylin was reaching to take Lain out of his arms when Salem stopped him. "No, just let me..Hold her." He huffed out as he cradled her closer to his chest. Tears filled up in his eyes as he looked at Faylin. "Is it..Is she Gail? Please tell me she's Gail. Don't tell me that was my imagination!" Akira and Faylin exchanged looks as the beach wind rustled their hair in time with the tides. "Come on Salem, let's get out of here..The high tide is gonna be coming soon." "No! Answer me first! Is she or is she not Gail?!" Salem's skin started to radiate with a faint golden light and his green eyes lit up. The ground began to shake with his raw emotion as he struggled to stand up with Lain in his arms and deal with his anger and sadness at the same time. "Now Salem, calm do—" Akira started only to be cut off by Faylin stepping in front of her. "Salem you can't do this here. Look." He jerked his head to the left and saw that Jane was watching him, dumbfounded by what was going on. "You'll upset the balance of the worlds." Faylin hissed and as if a candle light being put out, Salem's light faded and his face fell in disappointment. "Besides, your light is hurting her." Faylin picked up Lain out of his arms and Salem saw that her skin had scorch marks on it from where his bare skin had been touching hers. "Oh my god.." Lain's skin was cracking with thick black lines and just right below her collar bone, there was a hole and within that hold seemed to be nothingness. _It's like what was happening with the twins back at Olympus Coliseum..Kinda._ Salem thought, his eyes wide with fear. He might have just gotten Gail back, he couldn't lose her again.

Akira turned to look and saw that not only was Jane watching, but that the lost boys and Peter Pan had come out of the forest as well and were all staring at them. She brought her arm up in an arch and with a dark shield, the darkness and all of them vanished from sight of the onlookers, and everything went back to normal. Peter Pan shrugged and started talking to Jane and they left through the jungle in a rush of childish screams and laughter. Faylin carried Lain in his arms, Akira at his side, and Salem trailing a little ways back. They trekked through the jungle in the opposite way of Peter and his gang. They came upon a mushroom grove covered in moss and surrounded by a light mist. "This will do for the night," Faylin said as he laid Lain's body on the ground, setting her head gently against a rather large mushroom for comfort. A bird cawed as the sun began to set and night fell on the grove. Crickets chirped together in tune and a frog croaked. "This place is creepy." Akira said as she pulled her knees close to her chest. Another screeching caw from a bird. Akira jumped and her eyes went wide as her heartless senses went on alert. Faylin was kicked back beside Lain and he stretched out his arm and grabbed Akira, pulling her close and tucking her up under his arm. She protested, but really she was trying to hide her flush and a smile that danced around the edge of her lips. "I don't need you to protect me." "Oh shut up and accept my kindness you brat." She _hmphed_ but settled next to him, glad to have his warm body next to hers. "Is Salem gonna be okay?" "I don't know." Salem had wandered a bit away from the group and was laying against a tree stump. _ I can't believe Lain might be Gail..Now that I think about it, it's kinda obvious..But ugh, I won't be able to know for sure until Faylin tells me.._ He closed his eyes and sighed. _Might as well get some rest since it seems he's not gonna budge tonight._

A cold finger pressed into Salem's cheek and he scrunched his face and swatted at the hands. "Faylin you jerk, lemme sleep!" he sleepily whined. "Salem." Definitely not Faylin's voice. It was feminine, lighter and sweet, but still made harsh by a twinge of darkness. His eyes opened slowly as he pushed through the fog of sleep. "Lain?" A small laugh cut off by a tiny cough. "Lain, Gail, ugh, whatever you guys want to call me. I'm just me." His eyes finally opened the rest of the way and sure enough, it was her sitting before him. Her black hair fell into her eyes and shined faintly with a purple glow from the moonlight. She'd pulled her shirt over her shoulders to hide the hole in her chest, but he could still see the faint black cracks in her skin. "It's really you then." Salem sighed, closing his eyes and falling back against the tree stump. "Sure is kiddo—"his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close so that her head fell against her chest. It was silent for a few moments and then he heaved and began to cry against her hair. "You stupid idiot Gail." He cried, "How could you keep this from me? I was so broken and so hurt. I missed you so bad!" "Shh," she said as she put her palm against his chest and pushed back away from so she could look up into his face. "It wasn't my idea..Faylin thought it would protect me from you and the Unbirths but as it turned out, they knew this was me all along.. However, Faylin thought I would hurt you if I got near you…But I think I have enough practiced restraint that I wo—" "Shut up." "Huh?" She barely gasped out before his lips crashed down on hers. It was strange at first and she felt a raw pain of hunger shoot through her body, but she pushed it down and fell completely into his kiss. His body was rigid as he kissed her because she wasn't responding, but eventually, she started kissing him back, and then her arms were around his neck pulling him in for more. His body relaxed and hers pushed against him until she was nearly straddling him. He pulled away softly and held her back, looking at her. "Gosh, I've wanted to do that since the first day I met you." Her face turned red and she looked down, smiling. "I'm sorry if I'm not a good kisser..Honestly that was my first kiss." He chuckled and lifter her chin up so that he could look at her. "Don't worry, you're an excellent kisser." He kissed her again but for only a moment. "You're so beautiful. Even like this, you've always been beautiful to me." She blushed an even darker shade of red and smiled at him. His thumb traced her bottom lip and he was full of so much happiness in that moment that he shined. "Salem look," Gail said pointing behind them. All around them, tiny little sparkles of light shot up from the ground and out of the trees. The lights intertwined and danced with each other, and as they moved, a song so low and beautiful played that it brought even more happiness to Salem's already fluttering heart. "We're in the fairy grove, home of the fairies of Neverland." Gail's eyes lit up with awe. Salem stood and offered her his hand, pulling her close to his side. He towered over her, a good foot taller than her. The lights floated gently towards the two and circled over their heads. A light golden dust fell on them, and as a response to Salem's happiness, he floated into the air. "Come on," he smiled, holding out his hands to her. She took them and she floated up with him. Salem twirled her in the air and she laughed as she came back to his side. "May I have this first dance?" he asked as he pulled them above the treetops. "Of course." She responded as they danced in the moonlight. The fairies shot up over the treetops and danced with them throughout the hours of the night until they finally came back down and settled against the tree stump together in each other's arms.

"Salem" she started, turning to face him only to be interrupted by his sweet soft kisses. She giggled lightly against his lips as she pushed away from him. "Listen," her voice became serious and his face fell. "I'm sorry if I'm doing it wrong." He mumbled. "Oh no, no! It's not you at all. You're perfect, don't worry." He smiled again and his shine was restored. "I just have a favor to ask." "Yes anything, ask away." He pulled her hands against his lips and kissed them. "My darkness is fighting against the light that I once held in my heart, and as I was..forced into this existence, the light still remains dormant within my soul." Salem's eyes narrowed slightly out of confusion. "It's killing me." Gail's voice trailed off into a sad whisper. "Oh please don't say that, we'll find a way to fix it." "You don't have to Salem. I've already found a way." "Oh goodness! What is it please tell me! Please let me help you!" "I want you to take my light from me and put it into yourself.. I'll still be me, don't worry. I just won't be dying." "I can do that?" She nodded. "Yes and if I get this situation worked out..Then you can give it back to me." "Alright let's do it." She explained to him what he'd have to do. "Let me get this straight, you want me to stab you with my keyblade?" "Yes, don't channel your energy on the darkness and vanquishing it, focus on the light and removing it. It's risky but I believe in you. You can do this Salem." She leaned forward and graced his lips with a light kiss. Salem's keyblade appeared in his hand, "Okay. I've got this." He lightly touched the tip to Gail's chest and was instantly shaken by the power of the darkness and light colliding within her. _Okay, let's remove the light._ He closed his eyes and focused with all his might, separating with his will the light and the dark until they were two divided entities within her, and he grabbed out for the light and yanked at it, pulling it out of her, as well as his keyblade. His keyblade vanished and within his palms he held the most dazzlingly brilliant light he'd ever seen. "Okay," Gail said, holding a hand to her chest and sighing with relief as the hole sealed up. "Now push it into your chest." Salem took the light in his palms and pushed it against his chest and with a spark like an electrical storm, he fell backwards and floated up into the air. His body curled into a ball and after a few seconds, his limps erupted outwards, and his body shown with the newfound power of light he had been given by Gail.

His hands sparked and sizzled as the power erupted from his chest to the rest of his limbs like electricity. Tiny bolts of light surged around the boys skin as it threaded its way into his clothing seeped into his entire being. His once then shirt thin green shirt bleached itself white and grew in length. It soon became a full body under armor that covered his wrists to his ankles. A second layer arose from the light and to reveal a gold jacket with an added hood feature. It shined like the mornings sunset and and laced closed in the front with a white thread. Upon the front of the jacket was a bordered heart. It sat in the center of the boy's chest and twinkled a silvery color of the stars above. The transformation continued to progress as the light began to work its magic on Salem's tan Capri's. The pants grew a bit longer to the half way point of his calf. The fabric was the same gold as its matching counterpart and was lose and baggy. The Sides were covered with pockets for easy access at potions and items the boy may need in his travels. The belt held his golden shorts steady and held a beautiful design on the buckle. It was the same heart as before, only the design intertwined the gold and silver with beautiful harmony. Based on the buckles shape you could tell it was similar to the button Salem used to activate his armor, however there was something more powerful about it. Almost as if he were to push it a great power would be unleashed from within. Finally the light shifted to the boys shoes and began to transform these as well. The shoes were gold as well with white lacing; however, the sides had silver baby wings coming from them. Almost like the God Hermes, the god of communication. The boy floated in mid air as the silver wings managed to keep him afloat. His hand glowed and his keyblade appeared before him, almost as if to announce the end product of the transformation.

Gail shielded her eyes from the light that radiated off of him and chuckled. "Leave it to Salem to go overboard and because the coolest dressed guy for worlds around." He chuckled as he landed on the ground and turned allowing her to look him over. "I look so cool, and I fell.." "Yes?" "I feel so powerful and full of strength. Like even the darkest darkness couldn't even touch me." "Good, at least I know you'll be safe now." Salem stooped down beside her and pulled her into a hug. "As long as we have each other, my heart will always be safe." The morning sun was beginning to rise and Faylin and Akira were beginning to stir. "Well lets go wake them up," Gail said, coming to a stand and taking Salem's hand in hers. "Okay," he smiled, kissing her for a few minutes before they went to return with the two other heartless. Akira jumped up, her nose turned to the air as she sniffed. "Faylin, Faylin wake up!" She kicked his leg and he shot up after her. "What is it?" "I smell..Light. Lots of light. And on top of that, I smell lots and lots of darkness." "Huh, you're right, I smell it too." He stood with Akira and turned, seeing Salem and Lain coming from the distance, hand in hand. "Wh—Lain! Salem!" He yelled, worried about Salem's protection from his sister. "I'm not Lain anymore, brother. I'm Gail of the darkness, and this is Salem, my warrior of light." Faylin's arms crossed. "Salem fixed me and I've given him my light. It'll be enough to protect him from my darkness." She smiled at Salem and Salem smiled right back. "I'm sure Phil would say he's become a true hero of the light after last night." Salem beamed at her and then at Faylin. "I'm so happy." Salem could feel Gail's love, warmth, and care flow throughout him. It was pleasant and it made him stronger. Faylin smiled and went to give his sister a hug, and then he pulled Salem into it. Salem's hands were sticking up in the air and Akira made the notion of giving him a high five before Faylin reached for her and pulled her into the group hug. _Everything is gonna be okay,_ Gail thought as a single happy tear rolled down her cheek. _We're all gonna be okay. _


End file.
